From There to Here
by deliver.me
Summary: Modern Willabeth.  AU obviously.  Will was left heartbroken by his first love, and things get confusing when a stranger suddenly appears almost ten years later.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: This is my first attempt at a modern Willabeth. This is for the hussies._

The pub was still rather empty and quiet, even though the drink specials had started forty minutes ago. A man sat at his usual table nursing one of the cheap beers sold at the bar. He was waiting for his drinking partner, who was running late for some unknown reason, but if the man had to guess, it probably had something to do with his friend's girlfriend. He kept glancing at the door, waiting for his usual company. The loner took a long swig from his bottle when a figure finally burst through the pub's door.

"Sorry I'm late."

"William! Will! Willy-boy! About bloody time you got here!" The man at the table paused while he took in the other man's appearance. "What the hell happened to your eye?"

The newcomer sat down and mumbled something incoherent while lifting a hand to the ugly black and blue bruise.

"Sorry, didn't catch that."

Will looked at the man sitting across from him and said, "I fell in the shower this morning."

"You need to lay off the drink, mate."

"Don't be stupid, Jack." 

The man named Jack took another sip of his beer and said, "So where've you been? Dina get mad because of the shiner? No doubt thinks you've been in a bar brawl. You need to be careful because she barely lets you hang around me as it is. I swear she keeps you under such close surveillance," he paused as he made a whipping motion above his head with his hand, "_Whupsshh_!"

Will sighed and said, "No. She knows I fell. I got caught up at work. I'm trying to put in a bit of overtime to save up some money. I want to take her out."

Jack glanced at Will's shirt that had the name of the business where he worked: The Chain Gang. There was a man on a sleek bicycle bent low over the handlebars, racing over the words, "Custom Built to Your Satisfaction." He brought a confused gaze back to his friend's face and asked, "You haven't got enough to take her for a bite to eat?"

"No, no. I mean I'm planning to take her on a weekend trip. I've got it all figured out in my head. We'll have a four day, three night stay near the Rhine River. At some point, we'll take a dinner boat cruise."

"You're a sodding Romeo, you are. You really like this girl, yeh?"

Will gave a small nod. "I do like her. She's a nice girl."

Jack stared at him with an incredulous look.

"What?" Will asked.

"You are planning this huge romantic weekend, and all you can say is 'I do like her.' Will, you've been shagging this girl for six months, and the only thing you can manage is, 'She's a nice girl?' No, 'I love her' or, 'She's the one?'"

Jack's friend scoffed. "What do you know about love? You've not stayed with any woman long enough to know her birthday, let alone love her."

"It's my style, what can I say? But you, dear William, are much more committed than I am, which is why you've not had as many women, am I right?"

"What are you saying?"

Jack smiled and ran a finger over the hair growing on his chin. "How long have we known each other?"

Will thought a moment and said, "Since we were seventeen, I suppose."

"And in those seven years we've known each other and the three years we've lived together I've never been aware of any miraculous stories of your sex life."

Will gave him a warning look and growled, "Just because I keep my life private. I don't make it my life's mission to _conquer_ women."

"I doubt you've been with anyone other than Dina." The gleam in Jack's eye was always present when he began to take the piss out of his friend.

"Fat lot about me you know."

"Alright, then William," he said as he swirled the last bit of beer in his bottle, "Tell me when you had your first."

"_Had_ my first? You're lucky you haven't been kicked in the balls by the women you try to pick up."

Jack shrugged. "It's happened before, but you're avoiding the question."

Will looked at his hands, which were still dirty from work. The memory of his first time came flooding back to him as he thought of the girl that broke his heart. She was part of many of his firsts. First kiss. First snog. First love. First time. First heartbreak. Even though he had a lot of happy memories, he didn't like to think about her because he felt the ache inside him all over again every time he did.

He began to pick at the dirt under his fingernails as he considered Jack's question. "Fifteen."

Jack quirked his eyebrows at his roommate's response. "What?"

"I was fifteen when…" he continued to look at his dirty hands.

Jack laughed and shook his head. "No way."

"You don't believe me?"

"Son, I didn't get any till I was sixteen. I just find it hard to believe someone like you beat me to it."

Will grinned, "Someone like me? You're jealous."

Jack looked into his almost empty bottle. "Bet she was uglier than a duck's butt."

"You're wrong again." In reality, she was one of the most attractive girls Will had ever seen. They had been best friends since they were twelve and only began dating at the age of fifteen when he finally realized his best mate was hot.

"So you're telling me that you banged this fox when you were fifteen? What happened to her?"

Will swallowed a small lump that had formed from recalling the memories he had pushed away for so long. "She left."

"Dumped you?"

He shook his head. "No, she moved away from Glastonbury with her family. Moved to Sunderland."

"Shame, then."

"Yeah."

"Do I know this girl?"

"No. She left before you moved to Glastonbury."

Will's somber reverie was broken when his mobile began to ring loudly in the unusually quiet pub. It was his girlfriend.

"I'll get us some drinks, shall I?" Jack left without waiting for Will's answer.

"Hullo?"

The voice on the other end was anxious and a bit shrill. "Will! Where are you?"

"I'm at the pub with Jack. It's Tuesday night specials."

"I thought you were coming over tonight?"

"It's only six o'clock. I plan on coming over, I swear."

"Is Jack getting sloshed?"

Will glanced over at his friend making his way back to their table, already drinking out of his new bottle of beer. "Um, not really," he lied.

There was silence on the other end as Jack sat down and mouthed, "Is it Dina?"

Will nodded, and Jack rolled his eyes. "So, um…what did the doctor say about your wrist?"

Dina's tone softened, "He says it's sprained."

"Did he give you a brace or anything?"

"Yeah. It's ugly though. It's black and attracts lint like mad."

Will gave a small laugh as he asked, "Do you want me to pick up a roller on the way over so you can keep the fuzz at bay?"

He had always been able to make her laugh, and this time was no different. "No, I think I'll manage. Do you think you could come over now?"

Will looked at the full bottle of beer Jack had set down in front of him. "Uh…"

"Just tell Jack I owe him one."

He sighed and said, "I'll see you in a bit."

"Bye!"

As Will ended his call, Jack asked, "What happened to her wrist?"

"She sprained it this morning."

"Doing what?"

Will gave his friend a sheepish look. "She fell in the shower."

"You wanker! You were with her this morning, weren't you? I'll bet you were doing more than soaping up her hair when you fell, eh?"

Trying not to let Jack see him laugh, Will stood and said, "I've got to go, mate."

"You're not abandoning me! It's Tuesday night specials!"

"She says she owes you one."

"Dina owes me about five hundred! Fine, go on to your girl, you tosser. I'll just drink by myself like a lonely alcoholic."

Will laughed as he began to leave. "I'll see you later tonight."

As he walked through the pub's door, he heard Jack yell, "You owe me a beer!"

He hopped on his bike and began to pedal down the street, heading towards Dina's flat. The memories that flooded back into his head this evening rode with him, refusing to leave. He hadn't thought about _her_ in so long. Will had moved on and didn't feel like he was fantasizing about another woman because he was definitely committed to Dina. He supposed he had never given himself time to heal from the heartbreak caused by his first love. He decided he would indulge himself and allow his mind to get lost in flashbacks while he made the journey to his girlfriend's place.

_He had been in her room many times before because both of them loved to snog. They usually found themselves alone while her parents were at work, and that made him feel more comfortable and less anxious when her father was not around to murder him for groping his daughter. This particular snog session, however, began to get heated and progress further than either had allowed before._

_Will pulled himself out of the stupor that had engulfed the couple. He had just realized neither of them was wearing a shirt, and his pants were barely hanging around his ankles. He tried hard not to look at his girlfriend's heaving chest as he struggled to regain control of his breathing._

"_Do you think we should stop?" He looked into her eyes to see if she thought they had gone too far. She just gave him a confused look._

"_Why?"_

"_What if your parents come home? I mean, is this really what you want?"_

"_Are you telling me that you want to stop?"_

"_No. Not unless you want to."_

_To answer his last question, she moved her hands behind her and unhooked her bra. In a flash of white material, it was gone. She sat down on her bed, bringing Will next to her as she lifted one of his hands to her recently exposed breast. He couldn't stop staring at his hand holding her. He moved his hand to cup her, and upon feeling the weight in his hand, his hips gave a sudden jerk and a strangled cry escaped his throat._

_She looked at him strangely while his face reddened and he pulled his hand away._

"_I'll be right back." Will shuffled towards her bathroom, his pants still clinging to his ankles. When the door closed and the sound of water running reached her ears, she knew what had happened, which made the situation even more embarrassing for Will._

_Frantically he began to clean himself up with bathroom tissue, cursing himself as he did so._

"_Can't even make it to…Way to control yourself, Turner. Dammit!"_

_Will stepped out of his pants and left them on the floor before looking at the wet spot on the front of his boxers. There was no way to hide it except by placing his hands conspicuously in front of it._

"_She already knows," he thought. "I don't suppose it matters now."_

_He turned off the water and opened the door, surprised to see that she was still topless. She had moved towards the middle of the bed and was now resting against the huge pillows near the headboard. He took it to mean she wasn't grossed out by what had just happened._

"_Are you coming back?" she asked, doing her best not to look at his crotch._

_He quickly made his way over to her and sat beside her._

"_I'm sorry about…"_

_She smiled and said, "It doesn't matter. I suppose you'll be able to last a bit longer now, yeh?"_

_Will couldn't help but grin, and they began to kiss again. He had no trouble getting hard again when their clothes began to fly. He awkwardly attempted foreplay with her, but he was unsure of what she liked, and they both fumbled their hands over the other's body while exploring. There was a lot of "Are you okay?" and "Do you want me to…" being said as lips and fingers moved over bare skin._

_Eventually, Will found himself positioned between her legs, preparing himself to enter her for the first time. _Their_ first time. He gave her a small kiss before finally pushing into her slowly._

_He stopped suddenly when her nails dug into his back. He looked at her and was startled to see a grimaced expression on her face. The sensations coursing through his nerves were immensely pleasurable, and he hadn't expected hers to be any different._

"_What's wrong?" He was having a hard time resisting the instinctual urge to push himself further into her._

"_You're stretching me. I just have to – " She moved slightly to ease the discomfort._

_Her movement caused Will's hips to jerk involuntarily and he thrust himself deeper into her, causing her to cry out._

"_Oh gods! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" He was horrified at what he had done. He was sure he felt something tear when his hips rebelled against his self-control._

"_Just don't move!" Her eyes were squeezed tightly shut as if she were trying to block out something painful._

_Will resolved to stay put, even if it killed him. As her face relaxed, he spoke softly._

"_I love you. I'm so sorry."_

_She opened her eyes and gave him a small smile. "It's okay. I love you, too."_

_Her hands moved to his hips, and she pushed against them, giving Will her permission to move._

_Determined to move as slowly as he could, he began to pull out of her. He felt the pressure building up within him, and he was sure there was no way he could hold himself back for much longer. He managed to move in and out a few times before he exploded for the second time that afternoon, collapsing against her._

_One of her hands moved to his shaggy hair and began to brush it out of his face as he tried to catch his breath. Her mouth felt very soft against his shoulder as she placed small, reassuring kisses against it._

_Will lifted his head to look into her eyes and quietly asked, "Did you?"_

_A half-smile appeared on her lips. "No, but I don't think women usually do the first few times." She didn't sound disappointed, but Will could not control the guilt rising up inside him._

"_I'm sorry. I didn't know it was going to be like this. It should have been better."_

_Her hands framed his face as she pulled his head closer to hers. "It was perfect because it was you."_

He had finally arrived at Dina's flat and looked up at the building. The sun was beginning to sink below the skyline as he began to chain his bike to the rail leading up to the entrance. Giving a great sigh, he made his way up the stairs, leaving his memories chained beside his bicycle.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Thanks for the reviews so far! Enjoy._

Jack scanned the room, looking for an attractive young woman to chat up. He noticed a girl about his age making her way through the crowded pub, heading towards the bar. Rushing to get there first, Jack slipped around tables, chairs, and patrons and skidded to a halt just before his target reached the counter.

"Why, hello there." He grinned at her startled face and rested his arm on the ledge of the counter.

She scanned his appearance, unsure about talking to a dark-haired stranger. He was wearing a black polo shirt, tucked into a pair of blue jeans with an obscene number of holes all over the legs. Timidly, she said, "Hi."

Jack considered her face for a moment and asked, "Have we dated before?"

Still confused by the weird man, she hesitated before answering slowly, "No."

He paused for a moment. "Well, I suppose you're right. If we had, I doubt you'd still be standing here." He winked at her, which finally made her smile.

"I'm not sure that's very good advertisement," she laughed. "If you're trying to pick up a girl, you ought to make yourself sound better than that."

"I may be a bit brash, but I am _not_ a liar, dear woman."

"Well, that's good to know." Still smiling, she turned to the bartender to order but was interrupted by Jack.

"Are you seeing anyone, then?"

"Isn't that a bit bold? You hardly know me, and you're asking me out?" Even though she sounded surprised, he could tell he was amusing her.

"What have I got to lose, hm? Thought I'd ask before some other bloke got the chance."

"I'd have to get to know you first before I agreed to venture out into a strange city with a strange man."

Jack furrowed his brow. "'Strange city?' Are you not from London?"

"No. I just moved here about four months ago. It's my first time in here, actually."

"You've never been inside here before?" He shouted at the bartender, "Oi! Tom! We've got a virgin at the bar! Send her something!"

"A virgin?" she laughed.

"Well, it sounds sexier than newbie, does it not?"

Tom walked over to the two, wiping his hands on the small apron around his waist. "Alright then, Jack. What'll it be, Miss?"

She threw Jack a confused look, who explained, "Order anything you want. It's free."

"Anything I want?"

"Yup. Make it something expensive. Tom's a cheapskate. It'll piss him off something fierce."

Tom laughed, "Hey, now."

The woman grinned and turned to the bartender. "I'll have a Guinness."

"Make it two!" Jack shouted as Tom left.

"Your's isn't free, you git!" he shouted over his shoulder.

The banter made her laugh, and she looked at Jack again, who smiled back at her.

"He makes it out like I'm a freeloader, but I'm not, really. I mean, I do have a flat with a friend, and he _does_ lend me his car most of the time, but I've got a job, I swear."

"I suppose I have to take your word, Jack, since you're not a liar and all."

Her use of his name shocked him into silence, and he was unable to think of a single witty reply. He snapped out of his confusion when Tom left them their drinks.

When she lifted hers to take a sip, Jack asked, "How'd you know my name?"

"It's on your shirt," she smirked. "'Captain Jack. 99.5 _The Pearl_."

He looked at the left side of his polo to confirm what she had just said.

"Damn. Alright, fair enough. But here's the deal. Normally, I don't exchange names with the girls I like."

"Then how do you know what to call her when you're screwing her?"

Jack raised his brows. "Cheeky. I like that." He tilted his beer in salute and took a gulp before continuing. "Actually, I play a sort of game with myself. See, everyone is always caught up in first impressions. No matter what anyone claims, _everyone_ creates first impressions when meeting new people. I have an awful habit when hearing names."

"Oh, really? I thought first impressions emerged from a person's appearance."

"Oh it does! But it's more than that. When you hear someone's name, you automatically judge them. A name's important, am I right? If I see this fox on the other side of the pub, naturally I'll want to talk to her, but then I find out her name's Beulah, and I can't bring myself to kiss her because I'm thinking of my grandmother the entire time, which is a shame because the foxy lady is missing a real treat, let me tell you."

"So you'd rather just have a quickie without knowing the girl?"

"You make me sound like a bastard."

"You make yourself sound that way, I'm afraid."

"I find out the girl's name _after_ I get to know her. That way, I'll know in my mind that she's nothing like my dear old nana, and I can get past the old-fashioned name."

"So if I'm not allowed to tell you my name, are you just going to call me "Girl" all night?" She was completely intrigued with this man, even though he seemed like a complete nut job. He was quirky, and she loved it.

"Well, let's see. If "Girl" isn't good enough for you…" He paused to take another drink of his beer. "You can be my Bonnie Lass for the evening. How's that? I'll call you _Bonnie_. What do you say?"

"That'll do, _Captain_ Jack."

"And since you know my name already, we'll compromise, and I'll not tell you my last name. How's that?"

"Sound's fair to me."

There was a moment's silence before either spoke again. Jack took this opportunity to check out her appearance. Her hair created a beautiful frame for her long face, which was accented by her warm eyes. She was wearing low riding pants that displayed her round bum perfectly. It also showed off her slender legs, which were quite long. His eyes traveled to her stomach, which was barely peeking out from beneath a navy blue shirt that clearly defined her breasts. His gaze settled upon her chest, and Jack thought that she looked a just a bit too small to fit into a B-cup. He decided to ask her about it later.

"Like my tits, Captain?"

Upon hearing her voice, his eyes snapped back to hers, and without missing a beat, he unashamedly replied, "They look quite delicious, actually."

His attempt to embarrass her failed when she laughed at his retort.

"No wonder your exes stay away from you."

He smiled and said, "Well, Bonnie, since I can't seem to make you blush, we might as well move on to decent conversation."

"That sounds good to me."

"Why'd you move to London?"

"I volunteered to transfer here to help manage a new shop that opened downtown."

"What shop might that be?"

"Coldwater Books. The parent store is located in my hometown, and the owners have been slowly expanding for the last couple of decades. This is the first one to be opened in London. We've got a little coffee bar inside."

"Who the hell drinks coffee?"

"It's actually becoming sort of trendy. It also sells tea and water and juice. The coffee is quite good, I think. It's sort of grown on me. I started drinking it because I love the name of the little bar. It's called Coffee-ology. You should stop by. I bet I could get you a free drink, and you could browse the bookshelves."

"Darling, I make it a point to avoid places where I might accidentally learn something."

The serious expression he used with the statement made her laugh. "So, I'm assuming you work at a radio station?"

"You'd be correct in that assumption, Bonnie. I'm the most popular disc jockey at _The Pearl_. I'm surprised you haven't heard of me before."

They continued the small talk for a few more minutes before "Bonnie" looked at her watch. She drained the remaining half of her drink in one gulp, which Jack found extremely arousing.

"You in a hurry to get somewhere?"

"I've got to be at work early in the morning."

"So do I. I work the morning show. I just don't go to sleep. I find it easier and more entertaining to stay up all night and sleep when I get home from the station."

"As tempting as that sounds, I think I'll have to pass on that suggestion."

"It's only ten thirty! Come over to my flat for a bit. My roommate's probably humping his girlfriend tonight, so we won't have any annoying interruptions."

For the first time that night, she gave him an indignant look. "I'm not that easy."

"Oh! No! That's not what I meant, really! I just thought we could sit and drink some of his beer or something. I can't afford that wanker's prices." He jerked a thumb towards the bartender.

She considered his offer for a moment before conceding. "Alright, but I can't stay long."

"Excellent. I don't live but about ten blocks from here. Care to walk? That is, unless you've got access to some other mode of transportation. This is one of the rare occasions that I don't have access to my friend's automobile."

Her smile returned and she shook her head. "I don't mind. It'll help me become acquainted with the street, if you'll give me a commentary on the way."

Jack threw his arm around her shoulders and steered her to the door. They almost made it outside before he heard someone shout his name.

"Sparrow! You better pay for that drink!" Tom was waving his fist at Jack's retreating figure.

"Dammit, Tom! You've ruined it! She's not supposed to know my name!"

"It's on your shirt, man!" he laughed.

"Sparrow's not, damn you! For that, I'm getting the drink for free!" He guided "Bonnie" outside before Tom could reply.

They walked down the street, and Jack gave a play-by-play analysis of every building on their way to his flat, causing his guest to burst into a fit of giggles every other minute. They finally arrived at his building and walked the five flights of stairs until they reached the door, which Jack promptly opened and gestured her inside. He led her to the living room and proceeded to take out a couple of lagers for them to enjoy. Slinking into the room's entrance, he moved his hand over to the dimmer switch on the wall and effectively reduced the room's brightness.

"It's so we don't have horrible headaches when we're trashed later." He flopped down on the couch next to her.

She gave him a sarcastic look and said, "I'm sure it is."

Over the next hour, the two managed to drink everything Jack had brought for them to share, and each felt delightfully tipsy. She managed to disappoint him when she suggested stopping because of the thought of going to work in the morning.

"I'm not interested in becoming drunk with you tonight, Captain."

He leaned closer to her and whispered, "So, I take it you might some other time, then?"

"Perhaps. I can't say I haven't had fun tonight." The two moved as if they were trapped in a slow motion scene, their heads moving closer together and their lips beginning to purse in anticipation for the kiss that would soon follow.

The sound of a door slamming made them jerk backwards, like two teenagers caught doing something they weren't supposed to be doing. The source of the interruption walked into the room, much to Jack's displeasure.

"I have to apologize for my roommate, Bonnie. He's got horrible timing and apparently can't keep his footing while in the shower." Jack grinned at his reference to his friend's mishap that occurred a few days before.

Will laughed, "He's not pulling that Bonnie shite with you too, is he?"

Jack glared at him and yelled, "You know the rules, mate! Don't ruin this. Tom already told her my name."

"It's on your shirt, you stupid tosser."

The woman looked at the two men, torn between bewilderment and amusement. "Are you sure you two are friends?"

"Best mates, actually. I'd invite you to drink with us, roomie, but we've sort of depleted your supply."

"Dammit, Jack." Will shook his head and took a seat on the chair opposite them. "So he hasn't scared you off yet? The dim lights help block out his face, or something? I'm kidding, Jack." He stared at the girl's face for a moment, feeling sure he had seen her somewhere before. "Have we met?"

She looked at him for a second, thinking he looked somewhat familiar as well, but she couldn't place his face. "I don't think so. I've just recently moved to London."

"What for?"

She explained about the new bookshop downtown, how she was the assistant manager and had volunteered to transfer, along with one of her friends, who had become the new manager of the shop.

"I've been with Coldwater Books ever since I was seventeen. I absolutely love it. Drives my parents nutters, though. They think I should have gone to Uni, but I'd rather own my own bookshop one day. The manager – his name is Seth – lets me take any book I want that's on the bargain shelf. My flat is covered in old tomes. I've collected them since I've been at the shop in Sunderland."

Will stared at her for a moment, taking in her appearance all over again. The dim light dulled some of her features, but he was positive he knew he she was. Her hair was cut differently, and her face had matured into a more beautiful adult shape.

"You moved here from Sunderland?" He felt his stomach clinch into a knot and his palms grew sweaty.

"Yes."

His next question came out barely more than a whisper. "Elizabeth?"

She stared at him, very surprised to hear her name emerge from a stranger's lips, but as she looked closer, and looked past the bruise surrounding the man's eye, she realized that the bloke sitting across from her was actually someone she had once known very well.

"W – Will?"

He stood up at the sound of his name, barely believing that the woman in front of him was actually _her_. She stood as well, and crossed the room to study his face closer.

She gasped and exclaimed, "Will! Oh my God, I can't believe it! Who would have thought we'd meet in London, of all places?"

Utterly confused, Jack broke the spell the moment had created. "You two know each other?"

Will continued to stare unblinkingly at Elizabeth, doing his best to keep his voice calm. "It's hard to forget your first love."

The smile that had formed on her face began to fade, and she felt a huge surge of guilt wash over her. "Will…I'm so sorry. I didn't want to move…My father – "

He shook his head to silence her. "Let's not ruin the moment by dragging up the past." He started to grin. Happiness overthrew the feeling of shock and remorse that was threatening to overtake him. He quickly grabbed her in a huge hug. "I'm glad you're here. It's really great to see you."

Realizing who the girl was, Jack asked, "So this is the hottie you nailed when you were fifteen?"

They broke the embrace and turned to stare at him. Elizabeth raised her eyebrows in confusion while Will glared at him and yelled, "Jack!"

Holding up his hands in surrender, Jack shook his head. "I can take a hint. You want to be alone! Nice meeting you, Bonnie." He tipped an imaginary hat at her and walked out the front door, shouting over his shoulder, "I'm going back to the bar! Don't wait up!"

Elizabeth turned her confused look to Will, who quickly said, "For the record, I never said I _nailed_ you." This made her laugh, and they both sat down and began to talk about what was happening in their lives. He told her about Dina and his job at the custom bicycle shop, and Elizabeth told him how excited she was for him, and she described Sunderland and her experience in London so far. They continued to talk for hours until she realized it was five thirty in the morning.

"Shite! I've got to be at work in four hours! I'm so sorry Will, but I need to go." She stood to leave, and Will got up with her.

"I've got to work in the morning too. I'll take you home. Where do you live?"

"Oh, no, Will. I can walk. I'm actually only about four blocks from here. I just didn't want to tell Jack because he does kind of come out as sort of creepy."

He laughed. "I can walk you home, then. You shouldn't be out walking alone so early in the morning."

"That's sweet of you."

He led her outside, and they quickly walked the four blocks to her building. He walked her inside and found that she lived on the first floor, which was a lot more convenient than the five flights of stairs he had to climb everyday. He noticed the numbers painted on her door and couldn't help himself from commenting on it.

"Valentine's Day."

"I beg your pardon?"

Will gestured towards the numbers on the door to her flat. "It's the date of Valentine's Day: 14/2."

Elizabeth looked at her door. "Well, what do you know? It is. I've never noticed that before. You're still a romantic at heart, aren't you?"

He smiled and said, "I guess I am."

The looked at each other for moment before Elizabeth began to fiddle with her keys to unlock her door. When it opened, she turned back to him and smiled.

"I had a good time talking with you, Will. I'm so glad we met up."

"Me too."

"Thank you for walking me home."

"Goodnight, Elizabeth."

"Goodnight, Will."

He turned to leave, when he suddenly called her name. She looked at him quizzically.

"Um. Every Friday night, Jack hosts this big party at the pub where you met him. You should come because it's a big thing. We sort of go every week. You can meet Dina, if you'd like."

"Thank you! That sounds fun."

"Great! See you on Friday, then."

"Right."

When she closed the door, Will thought he saw her trying to hide an enormous grin, and with that thought, he turned to leave with a huge smile on his face as well.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Beware of kitties._

Will sat on the couch of his girlfriend, comfortably resting his arms around her, while she sat between his legs. They were watching national news, which happened to be boring, as there was nothing exciting happening for the newscasters to report this particular morning. As a result, the volume was turned down low, still audible but soft enough to keep it from blaring. Will was glad his boss let him call in "sick" today, even though he loved his job and working with cycle enthusiasts, as well as their customers. He was very tired from staying up all night with Elizabeth, and while he was happy that they were living near each other again, at the same time, he felt an inner struggle inside himself, wondering why and how she suddenly appeared after almost a ten year absence.

"Guess who I ran into last night?" Will kissed the top of Dina's head.

"I thought you went home after leaving here?" There was a slight hint of annoyance in her voice.

"I did! I went straight back to my place, but guess who was there with Jack?"

"Probably some hooker."

Will frowned. Even though Jack brought home lots of girls, he knew his friend would never bring home a prostitute, and it irked him that Dina held such a low opinion of him. "No. You know he's not like that, Dina. Actually, he found an old friend of mine at the bar last night, even though he didn't know who she was at the time. Do you remember me telling you about Elizabeth?"

She paused, as she thought. "Is she the same floozy that left you when you were in Glastonbury?"

"Well, she's not really a floozy, but yeah, she was my best mate when we were teenagers. We ended up talking for a long time last night, just catching up and all."

"I don't see why. If it was me, I'd have thrown her out."

"Why?"

Dina turned to look at him. "She broke your heart, Will! She left and didn't say anything! I'd hate for her to hurt you again."

"I don't plan on dating her. I don't see why we can't try and be friends again."

"You're a more forgiving person than I am."

"I invited her to come with us on Friday. She said she'd like to meet you."

Dina snorted. "Will, I'm tired of going with you and Jack every Friday. Why can't we just do something different?"

"Jack and I have gone every week, ever since he landed that gig there. Come on, Dina! You haven't been for three weeks! I think you'll have a good time, and you'll have Elizabeth to talk to this week."

She stood up and turned to him. "I'm not interesting in making chums with the girl that destroyed my boyfriend's heart. What makes her think she can just suddenly show up?"

"She was transferred to the new bookshop downtown from the one she worked at in Sunderland. It's called Coldwater Books."

"Sunderland? There's a girl from my office that used to live there. Lauren? I'll ask her if she knows her. I'll see if I can dig anything up on this woman. What's her last name?"

Will sighed. "Swann. Don't go looking for trouble, Dina. Give Elizabeth a chance. You might like her."

She sat back down beside him and gave him a small hug. "I'm not making any promises."

He shook his head. "I forgot to tell her what time to meet us Friday. I think I'll go by the shop. Want me to get you anything? It sounds like a neat place."

"No."

"Alright, then. I'll call you later."

"I love you."

Will looked at her and grunted, kissing her forehead as he got up. Even though they had been together for about eight months (and sleeping together for six), he still couldn't bring himself to say the words back to her. After saying goodbye again, he walked out her door, hopped on his bike, and began to ride downtown.

* * *

The store was empty, for once. Ever since the doors had opened a little over four months ago, Coldwater Books had been packed with customers. The little coffee shop had been an immediate hit, which surprised all of the employees. In turn, the Coffee-ology customers filtered into the bookstore, and business had been booming. It was only in the past few days that traffic had begun to dissipate, and today was the first day Elizabeth and her coworkers had time to take a small break, other than their usual lunch hour. At the moment, she was standing in one of the isles, in deep conversation with one of the first friends she had made when she moved to London, who also happened to work in the bookshop.

"It was so weird, Sarah! I haven't seen him in almost ten years, and suddenly I find myself living only four blocks away from him and his friend. I'm so happy that we found each other again, but it's felt sort of awkward being around him because of how we split."

"That's understandable. I'm sure that you'll feel more comfortable around each other as you spend more time together."

Elizabeth suddenly remembered Will's invitation to the party on Friday. "That reminds me, Sarah. He's invited me to some sort of thing at the pub near my flat. He says his friend hosts this party every Friday night. You should come and meet him!"

"I think I know what you're talking about. I've been to it before, and I don't really think it's my cup of tea. It's too rowdy, and you know me, I'm sort of subdued."

"What do you mean?"

Sarah didn't have a chance to answer because they were both startled by a man that suddenly appeared at their side. "Don't ruin the surprise for her."

They turned to the newcomer, whose presence was a pleasant surprise for Elizabeth.

"Will! You came by! It's so good to see you!" She turned to Sarah. "This is dear William, the one I was telling you about."

"You were talking about me?" he laughed.

Elizabeth's friend smiled and said, "I can assure you we were talking about your fantastic attributes."

Just then a customer walked in the entrance, and it was apparent he needed help finding something. Sarah began to make her way toward him as Elizabeth asked, "Would you mind if I went to lunch?"

"No, go ahead. I think I can manage."

Elizabeth turned to her old friend and smiled. "I thought you had to work today?"

"I was going to, really, but it turns out I came down with something," he winked. "I was just too tired to go in this morning, and I thought it would be a bad idea to handle a welder when I could barely keep my eyes open."

"I suppose you're right. Well, would you care for a tour?"

"I'd love one."

Elizabeth led him through the maze of bookshelves, pointing out each section as they passed by, until they finally reached the little entrance of the coffee shop.

"I'm not sure how much you like coffee, but they've got a really good brew here. They also sell tea."

"I like coffee. Not my favorite, mind you, but it's good every once in a while. I actually brought some lunch, if you'd like to eat with me."

He held up a little white sack that Elizabeth had not noticed before. Delighted, she agreed and bought each of them a cup of coffee before heading back to the employee's lounge in the back of the bookshop. They sat down at the small table, and Will took out the deli sandwiches he had purchased a couple of blocks down the street. They sat in silence while they ate.

He almost dropped his sandwich when a black and white cat jumped on his lap, purring loudly. Will held out a piece of turkey that had fallen on the deli paper, and the cat eagerly took it from his hand.

"That's Chairman Meow. He's sort of the shop's mascot. Seth brought him here when we opened."

Will gave a lop-sided grin and scratched underneath the animal's chin. "Chairman Meow, huh? He's extremely affectionate."

"I think he's rather fond of you. Although he warms up quickly to anyone with food." Chairman Meow curled himself up on Will's lap and began to lick his paw.

They quickly finished lunch and started on the coffees Elizabeth had purchased. "This is really good coffee. I'd better be careful, or I'll turn into a junky."

Elizabeth laughed. She studied his appearance for a moment. "Your hair's a lot shorter than last time I saw you. I sort of miss the shaggy look you had."

Will shrugged. "Dina didn't really like the way it never looked combed, so I cut it close so she would quit commenting on it all the time. It's okay, I guess. I sort of miss the long look myself. I don't suppose it matters much, though."

They sat in silence for a few more minutes, neither wanting to bring up their past, or what exactly made these silences so awkward for them. The guilt Elizabeth had felt the previous night began to swell in her stomach, and she knew she couldn't keep her feelings from him any longer.

"Will, I'm sorry about leaving."

"Elizabeth, it doesn't matter anymore. That happened a long time ago. Don't worry about it." His eyes were warm, and his smiled seemed genuine, but Elizabeth knew she had hurt him when she left.

"I just want to explain what happened, if it's alright with you. I think it will make us less awkward around each other." He didn't reply, so she continued, "I wasn't expecting to move so soon. We all knew that mum and dad would be leaving, but the partnership offer at the law firm came a lot sooner than we expected."

"I thought they were going to let you stay with your grandmother while you finished school."

She looked down at her empty mug. "That was before father saw us."

Immediately, he knew what she was referring to. It had been the most humiliating and terrifying moment of his life. He and Elizabeth had been sharing intimate relations for a few weeks when their activities were discovered by her father. Foolishly, they had attempted a quick lovemaking session in her empty house while her parents were running errands. They hadn't counted on them returning so quickly, and her father walked in on them, horrified to see his daughter and her boyfriend in such a compromising position. There had been a lot of screaming and yelling between Elizabeth and her father, the situation was made worse when Mrs. Swann appeared at the door, trying to find out what was wrong. The teens were scrambling to get dressed while her parents averted their eyes and continued lecturing them. Will was thankful to leave the house uninjured.

"So you moved because he saw us?"

"That had something to do with it, I suppose. He said he didn't want a pregnant teenage daughter and was afraid if I stayed behind…"

"We were using contraception!"

"He didn't know that, but we weren't very careful, now that I look back on it. We didn't use any our first time, remember?"

He was getting irritated at the memory of getting caught, as well as listening to Elizabeth talk about their immaturity. "You still could have come by to tell me you were leaving. I didn't hear anything from you. I didn't find out you had left until I went to your empty house when I couldn't get a hold of you over the phone. That really hurt, Elizabeth."

She fought the lump that was beginning to form in her throat as she tried to explain. "We left that night. He wouldn't let me call you. He sent the moving company after our stuff the next day."

"So why didn't you get in touch with me when you got to Sunderland? I didn't even get one sodding letter from you. It was like you disappeared off the bloody map, Elizabeth!" Will was struggling with a lump in his throat as well.

"Daddy wouldn't let me."

He was doing his best to keep from getting angry because he knew it shouldn't matter now, since it happened so long ago, but he had been carrying the scar of their ended friendship around him ever since she had left. He knew she must be burdened with the same wound, but he had a hard time understanding her explanation.

"He never wanted you to do a lot of things, but it never stopped you when we were together in Glastonbury! You used to go behind his back all the time! What changed when you moved? Did you lose your nerve? Leave it behind?" Little tears fell from her eyes, and the sight of them made Will feel ashamed. "I'm sorry, Elizabeth."

"No, you're right. I should have called you or at least written to explain, but I suppose I was just too hurt. Thinking about you hurt like hell, and it was easier to numb myself. It was selfish of me, and I hope you can forgive me."

He knew that it would be better to let go of the past, so both of them could begin to heal. Will reached over the table to take one of her hands in his. "I do. I'm glad I've finally got an explanation. I hope we'll be able to start all over again."

Elizabeth smiled. "I'd like that."

Removing his hand from hers, he started to pet the now sleeping cat resting in his lap.

"I came by because I forgot to tell you what time to meet us on Friday."

"What time does it start?"

"About nine o'clock, but you should get there a bit before because it's turned into a madhouse the past couple of weeks. I can meet you outside to walk you in. The great thing is, Jack's able to get us free drinks all night."

"That sounds fantastic! How about I meet you about fifteen minutes early?"

"I'll be there all evening. Just call me when you get there."

They exchanged numbers to their mobiles and flats and talked a little while longer before Elizabeth had to go back to work. Will set Chairman Meow on the floor, much to the cat's displeasure, before leaving the lounge. Elizabeth and Will both felt like a weight had been lifted from them. Even though it would take some time for them to adjust to each other's company, for the first time, they felt ready to move on with their lives.

_A/N: I don't know when I'll have a chance to post again, so I thought I'd go ahead and put this chapter here for you. There might not be an update until next week. I'm actually going to have to start working soon! Eek!_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N[ Insert something witty here._

Even though she couldn't see anyone, Elizabeth could hear the sounds of a crowd floating through the street. She wondered whether or not they were there for the party and hoped that it wasn't rioting. Her imagination was way too active at times, and she still wasn't completely comfortable roaming the London streets at night. Getting paranoid, she quickened her pace towards the bar. She decided to call Will, thinking that he could meet her outside as she arrived. It was only about two blocks away.

She heard the familiar ring and waited for him to answer. Fortunately she did have to wait very long.

"Hullo?"

"Will! I'm almost there. Are you going to meet me outside?"

"Yeah! I'll be out there in a few. See you soon."

"Bye."

No sooner than she ended her call, Elizabeth turned the corner and was shocked at the sight in front of her. The small pub she had visited just last week was surrounded by gobs of people, all dressed in weird outfits. Her eyes moved to the sign hanging above the door: The Pub. She had never noticed the name of the pub was actually "The Pub." Underneath this sign was a crudely made banner that read: PIRATE PARTY FRI. A closer look at the people gathered in front of the building made her realize that almost half of these partygoers had made feeble attempts to look like the kind of pirates one would see in a movie, complete with eye patches, fake parrots, and plastic swords. One fellow had even replaced his prosthetic leg with a wooden stake. The entire scene was very amusing, and she couldn't help but laugh when she heard shouts of "Avast" and "Arrr" as she walked closer. Suddenly, Will appeared, no longer sporting a black eye, pushing his way out of the crowd. He jogged to meet her and gave her a small hug.

"What do you think? Fantastic, isn't it?"

Elizabeth couldn't contain her grin. "This is insane. I've never seen anything like it! Jack does all this? Every week?"

"He's sort of obsessed with the whole pirate façade. Loves the idea of doing whatever you want. Wait till you see _him_. Ready to go inside?"

She nodded, and Will led her through the raucous crowd and into the pub, where the chaos inside overshadowed the activity they had just seen. The music was blaring, and the tables and chairs had disappeared, leaving a huge area open, allowing the merrymaking swashbucklers plenty of dancing room. Elizabeth's eyes scanned the bar, where she saw Tom busy making drinks. He definitely wasn't short on customers. They were lined up at the bar, eager to get something to drink as fast as they could so they could continue dancing. At the back of the room, a huge wooden booth was set up to resemble a ship, complete with a steering wheel mounted on the wall behind it. Large pieces black material was draped all around the makeshift ship, and in the center of it all was Jack. His outfit was the most outrageous she had seen so far. He had a long black coat, underneath which there were straps and sashes wrapped all around his torso, which was covered in a billowy white shirt. There appeared to be a pistol tucked under one of his belts, and he even had what looked like a real cutlass. There was a maroon bandana wrapped around his head, and she was surprised to see Will's roommate sporting kohl around his eyes.

Will leaned down to speak. "I told you he went a bit overboard. He's a complete nutter when it comes to pirates."

"I love it," she shouted, doing her best to make herself heard over the noise inside.

Suddenly the music stopped and there was a great collective shout from the dancers, as Jack's voice rang out over them.

"I can see tha' yer happy wiv th' firs' song o' the evenin'. More to come, I swear, although, I think we're bein' a bit too loud. Don' want our raid ter be cut short tonight, do ye?"

In response, the crowd roared its approval, defeating the peacekeeping purpose Jack had just suggested. Elizabeth quirked her eyebrows at Will over Jack's sudden transformation.

"He really gets into it, doesn't he?"

Will laughed, "Tell me about it."

They were interrupted when Jack began to speak again. "Send yer requests up ter _The Pearl_, and Mr. Gibbs here will do his best ter get 'em out ter ya!" He jerked his thumb towards a man Elizabeth had not noticed before. He was busy working the music station, also decked out in ornate pirate attire. Apparently, Jack's main job of the evening was to provide amusement. The music began again, and Elizabeth was delighted that it was some eccentric song she had never heard before.

"Where's Dina?"

Will frowned slightly. "She hasn't been here in about a month. She says she's getting bored with it."

"How can you be bored with something like this?"

He laughed. "That's what I thought!"

They made their way towards Tom, who gave them two large bottles of his best ale without saying a word, hurrying to get to his next customer.

"Cheers!" Will clinked his bottle on hers, and they both downed about half their drinks in one gulp. They watched the dancers and bar patrons as they talked. Elizabeth was a bit disappointed that Dina had decided not to come. She was looking forward to meeting Will's girlfriend. He seemed to really like her, and Elizabeth was very happy for him. She had just recently gotten out of a relationship and allowed herself to think that tonight might be a good opportunity to meet someone new, if said opportunity arose.

About forty-five minutes had passed, and the two had consumed three more of Tom's finest, creating a wonderful giddiness to bubble within their bodies. Everything began to get extremely funny, and they couldn't stop laughing, even though there was nothing in particular that was that amusing, unless you considered the out-of-breath dancers boogying their hearts out.

Elizabeth's laughter died instantly as an attractive man stepped out of the crowd, heading directly towards the bar. His face was scruffy, and sweat was pouring from his temple, plastering his sandy hair to his forehead. A jovial laughter escaped his lips, indicating he was having the time of his life. Will noticed the sudden change in his friend and smiled. Her expression was extremely amusing, and when she caught him looking at her, she grinned back.

"You were checking him out," he teased.

"Well, I wouldn't kick him out of my bed for eating crackers."

"Huh?"

"Crumbs. Eating crackers creates crumbs. Nevermind." She laughed at her own joke, which made Will laugh at her silliness in return.

"What are you two going on about?" Jack had taken a break from his pirate gig to join them.

"Honestly? I have no idea," Will grinned at his roommate. "I believe we're sort of…"

"Inebriated," Elizabeth finished.

They started laughing again, while Jack looked between the two of them and said, "Apparently."

"Jack, I must say that this is a fantastic setup you've got going here! I love it! And your accent! Classic!" Elizabeth pointed at his eyeliner and started to laugh, causing Will to join in as well.

Jack cocked his eyebrows and just stared at them, unsure of what to do. He realized there would be no sane conversation if he stayed where he was, so he decided to grab a beer from Tom, and made his way back to Mr. Gibbs and the booth. He had decided not to pursue a romantic relationship with Elizabeth because of the history she had with his best mate. Instead, he settled with friendship because he didn't have many female friends and thought that having her as a mate could be beneficial. She could help him understand women, finally.

When the giggles subsided, Elizabeth shouted, "Will! Let's dance!"

"No, thanks. I'm not a dancy kind of person."

"Please! Look how much fun everyone's having!"

"I'm having fun right here, thank you very much!"

She playfully huffed at his lack of enthusiasm when an Irish jig suddenly blasted through the speakers. Elizabeth screamed, scaring the beejezus out of Will, and grabbed his hand.

"Flogging Molly! You've got no choice! Come on!"

"Elizabeth, I really don't think – "

"I'm not going to grind against you or anything," she said as she dragged him into the throng of jumping pirates. "Dina's got nothing to worry about!"

It wasn't the fact that he was worried Elizabeth might try to make a move. Even if she did, he was not going to reciprocate any romantic actions back. He was with Dina, and Will prided himself in his loyalty to his friends, family, and girlfriend. He was concerned about looking like a fool. Not once in all the visits he had made to Pirate Party Fridays had he ever danced. He just didn't find it fun.

Elizabeth had maneuvered them into the center of the crowd and grabbed both of his hands. She began to twist them back and forth, dancing as if she were six years old. Her laughter and energy became contagious, and soon, Will was jumping up and down and taking turns twirling and swaying with the music. Every time the chorus boomed over their heads, their dance would become more enthusiastic.

_Do you still walk the streets at night,_

_With the Wonderlust you fight?_

_Back to the corner,_

_Where we went our separate ways?_

By the time the song ended, they were both breathing heavily, and sweat poured down both of their faces because of the energy they were exerting, as well as the intense heat of the people around them.

Surprising himself, Will stayed on the dance floor for another hour, reveling in their childish dancing, even when their fellow dancers began more provocative movements. Eventually, they decided they needed a break, as well as the refreshing feel of a cool beverage. Winding their way through the huge mass of people, they managed to reoccupy the space they had previously vacated. Tom moved forward to take their order, promptly placing two ice cold beers beside them. The giddiness created from booze had been replaced with a fiendish glee that had emerged from the dance floor.

For the second time that evening, Jack made his presence known, and he was surprised to see them still laughing stupidly. Tom slid a beer down the counter for Jack, who caught it with an expert's hand. Raising the bottle to his lips, he drained a large majority of his drink, while keeping his eye on the strange behavior of his friends. Elizabeth excused herself to the restroom, leaving Will alone with the pirate DJ.

Looking at Jack, Will said, "Great party, mate."

"Why are you so sweaty?"

Will laughed. "I've been dancing. Can you believe it?"

Jack frowned slightly. "As much as it pains me to say this," he paused, searching for the right words, "you'd better slow down. You wouldn't want to do something you'd regret in the morning."

"You know I'd never cheat on Dina. Elizabeth and I are just friends. She's actually been eyeing some of the blokes here tonight."

"I've never seen you dancing with Dina before. Although, if you wanted to ditch her for Lizzie, you'd have my whole-hearted consent to do so."

It was Will's turn to frown. "I appreciate your concern, but I can assure you, nothing's going to happen."

"I'm just saying, if it did…I'm not opposed to it." He winked and left, making a kissy face at Elizabeth as she returned from the loo.

Confused, she asked Will, "What was that about?"

"No idea."

Two barstools became available, so they both moved and sat because their feet were beginning to get sore from all the standing and dancing they had done.

"I wish Dina had come. I'd have liked to meet her."

"You've already said that," he teased.

"Yes, but it's true! She seems like a really nice girl. You got any big plans for the future?"

Will shrugged. "It's been eight months, but I don't really see either one of us settling down just yet. I mean, we're young. There's really no hurry, and she doesn't seem to be concerned about it either."

Elizabeth nodded. "Makes sense."

"I suppose the biggest plans I've got is a trip I'm saving for. I want to take her to the Rhine River. She's never seen it, and I thought we'd spend a few days out there. Jack tells me it's a terribly romantic idea."

"That sounds so sweet! Dina's a lucky woman."

He smiled at the compliment and continued, "I've got to brush up on my German, though. I can read and write to get by, but my conversation skills are horrible."

"I've actually got a German dictionary Seth let me steal from the bargain table. You can stop by anytime and borrow it."

"Wow! Yeah, that'd be great! Do you mind if I take it with us? I might run into a word or two I'll need help with."

Elizabeth laughed, "That would be fine. I hope you don't have much trouble."

"Knowing my luck, they'll have changed their entire language structure the week before we leave," he grinned. "Do you care if I stop by sometime next week? I'd like to look at it for a bit. I think I'll have enough saved up in about three weeks or so."

"Sure."

"And could you do me a favor and not mention it when you meet Dina? I kind of want to surprise her with it. I've already talked to her supervisor about letting her off the Friday and Monday of our trip."

"Aw! So romantic! I most definitely do not want to spoil the surprise. If only I could find someone as charming as yourself."

Will looked away, trying to hide his embarrassment. "There are plenty of blokes in London that would be jumping at the chance to take you out."

Elizabeth shrugged. "I've yet to meet any decent ones. I just got out of a relationship with a local guy recently. Didn't impress me that much."

"Yeah? Well, you can't have run into many decent men. I bet there's a few here that'd meet your expectations."

"Other than you, you mean?"

Will blushed and opened his mouth to retort, but he couldn't find the words. She laughed at his reaction. "I'm only teasing, Will. You ready for another go on the dance floor? That jitterbug's already come back and bit me on the arse again."

With that, she jerked him off the barstool and dragged him back through the pulsating crowd.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: I know I said I didn't know when I would be able to update again, and I've somehow managed to update about three times in one week, but I swear they'll start slowing down eventually._

The soft cotton sheets rustled when the bodies underneath shifted into a more comfortable position. It was late morning and neither had to work that day, which was a good thing because they were both tired from the previous night's activities. After walking through the door of his flat, they wasted no time in getting to his bedroom. Clothes were tossed all around the room after he had promptly locked it, in order to keep his roommate from interrupting. They had made love off and on all during the night, and now they slept, completely exhausted from their efforts.

Her arm was slung around his broad chest, hugging him tightly to her, and they both reveled in the feeling of their bare bodies pressed close to each other. She gave him a gentle squeeze and kissed his shoulder.

"Good morning."

He was in the state between consciousness and sleep, not quite ready to face the day just yet. Blinking to shake the morning fog out of his head, he turned towards her and ran his fingers through her hair.

"Morning."

Her fingers were dancing over his chest, slightly tickling him, but he didn't let it show. Instead, he looked at her face, which was resting against his shoulder while she watched her hand.

"What are your plans for today?" he asked.

She gave a small laugh. "Well, I was planning to run some errands downtown, but I'm not sure if I'll be able. Thanks to you, I'll be waddling around all day."

He smiled, somewhat proud of himself. "Sorry."

"What are you doing today, Mr. Turner?"

"I reckon I'll go out and purchase a present for you. _The Most Beautiful Girl Award._ How's that sound?"

His ability to make her burst into a fit of giggles never failed. "I need to get going. Maybe I can recover a bit before I have to do anything."

He helped her gather her clothes, and they both dressed. Will decided he should go ahead tell her what was on his mind. He only hoped that she would agree to it.

"Jack and I are going out for a bite to eat later. Want to come?"

She considered it for a moment, and then nodded her head. "Alright. But only if he behaves himself."

Will laughed. "No promises there. Also…um, we were going to invite Elizabeth."

The woman stared at him silently.

"Oh, come on Dina! Please come. Don't harbor any judgments against her because of what happened in the past. She really wants to meet you."

His girlfriend sat down on the edge of his bed, and Will joined her. Dina looked into his eyes with a gentle seriousness. "It's really important to you, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Alright. I'll come."

Will grinned. "Thank you. I think you'll really like her. You two might even turn out to be good friends."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. I've heard some interesting…stories about her from Lauren."

"Who's Lauren?"

Dina sighed. "She works with me at the office! She's the one from Sunderland I told you about, remember? Anyway, it turns out, she knows Elizabeth. They went to school together for a bit, and they lived near each other for a while before Lauren moved here."

Will remained silent as she continued.

"Lauren tells me that your _friend_ has quite a history with the local male population in Sunderland. She seems to be quite fond of one-night stands."

"That doesn't sound anything like Elizabeth."

"I'm just telling you what Lauren told me. She said she was always hanging around the pubs and had a different boyfriend every few weeks. They were constantly going in and out of her flat."

"Lauren must be thinking about someone else."

"No, she said she knew an Elizabeth _Swann_. That's her name, right?"

Reluctantly, Will confirmed, "Yes."

"Well, she _did_ come home with Jack after only knowing him for a couple of hours. What respectable woman does that? I mean, why would you go home with a complete stranger after only spending a little bit of time with him unless you're planning to mess around?"

"Dina…"

"She's supposedly not afraid to steal boyfriends either."

Will decided he needed to put a stop to this immediately. "Dina, that doesn't sound anything like the Elizabeth Swann I know." She started to protest, but he held up a hand to silence her. "Even _if_ it was the same girl, I can assure you that no one could take you away from me." His eyes bore into hers with a fiery intensity. "I thought you would have realized that by now."

Dina placed her hands on top of his. "Will, I know that. I just don't want to see her hurt you again."

He turned his hands over to hold hers. "I'm not going to put myself in a position that would allow that to happen. _You're_ my girl." He kissed her forehead and stood to walk her to the door.

She hugged him and said goodbye. As she walked down the stairs, he called after her, "Sorry about the waddling!" Then he ducked his head inside before she could retort.

Closing the door, Will sighed to himself. The things Dina told him had upset him, even though he couldn't see how any of it could be true. But then again, people were capable of changing. Could Elizabeth's relocation have been enough to change her entire persona? He couldn't bring himself to believe any of it.

Will walked to the bookcase in the living room and pulled a worn looking photo album off the shelf. Its blue cover was covered in dust, and there was no writing to signify what it was. He had not looked at the pictures inside in years, and the album gave a small squeak as he opened it. Making his way to the couch and sitting down, he smiled fondly at the memories that came rushing back.

* * *

Because it was a lovely afternoon, Will decided to walk to Elizabeth's apartment. He had phoned her earlier to extend an invitation to eat with them that evening, and she accepted, happy for the opportunity to finally meet Dina. She invited him over for tea, since neither had plans for the afternoon. He decided that he would go ahead and borrow the dictionary she had, so he could spend the next two weeks familiarizing himself with the German words he had forgotten. He also hoped to calm his doubts about what he had heard from Dina about his friend.

Upon arriving at the door labeled _142_, Will knocked and waited for her to open the door. When she did, he smiled and nodded. After a quick hug, she asked, "Would you like me to show you around?"

"That would be nice."

It appeared that Elizabeth had not been outside all day, as she was wearing some grey pajama pants and an oversized yellow shirt that said, "Polka: the new dance" in bright blue letters next to an accordion. She led him through the entryway, into the kitchen area, which had a small breakfast nook in the corner. There was already a kettle heating up on the stove in preparation for their afternoon tea. The kitchen led into her living room, which had several bookcases crammed with books of all sizes and colors. There were two squashy chairs, perfect for someone who loved to read. From this area, they moved onto the little bathroom, whose contents obviously belonged to a woman, and finally, they arrived at her bedroom door, which was closed.

"It's sort of a mess. I haven't done any laundry, so it's all over the place. But it really is a fantastic room, I assure you. You can see it after I've cleaned."

Just then, the kettle signaled it had reached the proper temperature for tea, and they made their way back to the kitchen. Will took a seat at the breakfast nook while Elizabeth poured his tea. When she joined him, he placed something on the table he had brought with him and nudged it towards her, asking, "Remember this?"

Recognition struck her features as soon as she saw the little blue album. "Oh, Will! You kept it after all these years!" She picked it up and began to flip through the pages, smiling just like Will had done an hour before.

"It's always been my favorite gift anyone has ever given me."

Her eyes left the photographs and locked onto his, and the look of heartfelt gratitude and sorrow he saw in hers did not escape him.

"I'm glad you've enjoyed it," she said as she turned back to the album. "It took me weeks to get it finished."

The pages inside contained little snippets of their childhood from age twelve to fifteen. Little versions of Elizabeth and Will were laughing and smiling in almost every picture, and every photograph showed something significant and memorable from their past.

"I'm glad you were able to give it to me a couple of weeks before you left."

Elizabeth opened her mouth to apologize again for leaving, but Will stopped her. "I'm not trying to bring up any sad feelings with this. You've already told me you were sorry, and I've accepted that. I just wanted to show it to you, to see if you remembered."

She nodded her head and continued perusing the album. They recalled the moments captured in time as she went through each page. It took about fifteen minutes to go through all of the pictures because both of them wanted to comment on the scene in each photograph.

When Elizabeth closed the album, she smiled again and sipped her tea. "I'm glad you brought this over. It's been the highlight of my day so far. Of course, I haven't done much, as you can already tell."

"I thought you'd enjoy seeing it." He decided to approach the subject he'd been concerned about all morning. Hoping his laugh didn't sound too forced, he said, "I've changed so much since then."

"How so?"

"Well, for one, I can last longer than thirty seconds during sex."

"That's a positive, then." Will loved how her eyes twinkled when she was amused.

"Not all my changes have been positive, though. I suppose I've sort of become sillier. I don't really like the idea of being too serious with anything. That's why I like Friday nights. It's also why I like my job. I feel like I'm constructing toys everyday. People have told me on numerous occasions that I'm immature. They're probably right. It's something I need to work on."

Elizabeth shrugged. "At least you can be serious when you need to be. I'd like to think of your little _problem_ as a playful personality, rather than immaturity. Sounds better, don't you think?"

Will smiled at her optimism. "I guess." He waited for her to say anything about how much she had changed, if any. When she remained silent, he asked, "What about you? You feel the same as you did when you were fifteen?"

"Oh, hell no. I know for a fact I've changed since then. The move," she stopped, still anxious about the topic, "um…It affected me in a big way. I think I've become a lot more emotionally detached than I used to be."

"Why is that?"

"I dunno. I guess I was thrust into a new city with new people that didn't seem to want to accept me. Daddy didn't seem too bothered by it. I suppose he figured it was just a transitional period. He thought I was just moping because of you."

"I'm sorry."

"Eh. Maybe it was just my teenage hormones causing me to be overly dramatic. Doesn't matter."

He wanted to ask her if her emotional detachment had affected her relationship with men, but he didn't want to overstep his bounds. Will didn't get the chance to subtly ask, however. Elizabeth had already changed topics.

"I almost forgot! You need the dictionary, don't you? I'll be right back!" She ran into the living room before he had the chance to reply. She was only gone for about thirty seconds before she came back carrying a little pocket dictionary.

"Thanks," he said as he took it from her. "I'll put it in my pocket right now."

As he slid the book into the back of his jeans, Elizabeth said, "Hello Ellie."

A smoky grey cat had just meandered into the kitchen. It was staring unblinkingly at Will with its icy blue eyes, which was extremely creepy to him.

"Ellie?" he asked.

"Well, I named her Elephant, but I call her Ellie for short. She's so sweet!"

"Why is she staring at me like that?" Will could have sworn the cat narrowed her eyes slightly when he spoke.

"She's just checking you out. Ellie's protective of me. I don't think she likes men very much, or at least men that I've…had _relations_ with. Her ability to know is uncanny, especially since this is the first time you've met her."

Will continued to stare nervously at Elizabeth's cat, who seemed a lot less friendly than Chairman Meow. It was as if Ellie was contemplating all the different ways she could kill him in his sleep if she ever got the chance.

"Erm…Those eyes…It feels like they're piercing my soul." He looked at Elizabeth, who was staring lovingly at her cat. "It's sort of bugging me out."

"She's just sizing you up. Aren't you?" She reached down to pet the grey cat, who continued to stare, unblinkingly, at Will. "Good kitty. Pretty kitty," Elizabeth cooed, completely oblivious to the murderous thoughts running though the head she was scratching.

Will looked away, deciding it was better to try and ignore the cat, knowing that as long as he stayed near Elizabeth, there was no way Ellie could hurt him. Cat people are crazy, he thought as he shook his head.

When Elizabeth stopped fussing over her cat, she got up to refill their teacups. They continued to chat for a little while longer over their plans for dinner that evening. They decided on a time and where to meet, and Elizabeth once again talked about how excited she was to meet Dina.

"It's just that, I have a hard time making friends with girls, and I know that if she adores you like she does, I'm sure we'll get along well. It's almost like a double date, isn't it?"

"I guess so."

Elizabeth stood and said, "I've got to go to the loo. Be right back."

Will continued to drink his tea, wondering how he could smoothly transition their conversation back to their personality change when he saw Ellie jump on the windowsill out of the corner of his eye. His head slowly turned in her direction, and he was unsettled by her half-closed eyes, still staring at him without blinking, which made her seem even more psychotic than before. When she began to flick her tail and purr softly, Will drained the rest of his tea and quickly left the room, heading for the front door. As he emerged from the kitchen, Elizabeth opened the bathroom door and was surprised to see him standing in front of her.

"Are you leaving already?"

"Uh, yeah. I've got to…do some stuff before dinner tonight. Thanks for the tea." He gave her a quick hug before adding, "And dictionary."

"No problem. I'll see you in a few hours, then."

"Right. Bye."

"Bye, Will."

As he made his way back to his flat, Will decided to bring some catnip with him the next time he went over to Elizabeth's. He decided it might come in handy if the need to make a quick escape ever arose.


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Fiesta! Oh, and now's the time where updates begin to slow down…or so they do in theory._

"I am so glad you decided to drive, rather than make us walk to the Underground because I am too damn tired to hoof it through the streets of London tonight."

Jack and Will were hurrying down the steps, making their way to Will's car. They were only running a few minutes behind schedule, which was miraculous, considering that they were usually horrendously late to everything except Pirate Party Fridays. The first stop they had to make was Elizabeth's, in order to pick her up before heading to Dina's place. Jack silently prayed they wouldn't run into heavy traffic because he was not keen on hearing Dina complain about their tardiness, although he felt like she should be used to it by now. In no time, they had pulled up in front of Elizabeth's building.

"Hey, Will. Lemme go get her. I've not seen her place yet. What's the number?"

"One forty two. Don't take a long time, Jack! We're late as it is!" he shouted at Jack's retreating form. As an afterthought, Will warned, "Watch out for her cat!"

Jack ran up the stairs, quickly making his way to door number 142. His knock reverberated down the hall, and he bounced on his toes while waiting for her to answer. Finally, her door opened, and Elizabeth smiled when she saw Jack.

"I was wondering where you were. I was just about to call you."

"Details, details." Jack held out his arm for her to take after she locked the door.

"You're such a gentleman, Jack."

When they got to the car, Jack opened the door for her to get in the back seat, and he slipped in after her, leaving Will alone in the front seat.

"Floor it, Jeeves. The Missus and I are in quite a hurry."

Will gave Jack a rude hand gesture as Elizabeth laughed. The trio found random topics to discuss as they drove towards Dina's flat. She lived about twenty minutes away from their area of town, and to Jack's great relief, traffic was minimal on this Monday evening. After he had parked, Will turned to his friends and said, "I'll be right back."

"Take your time! Oh, and Will! When you come back, if this car's a-rockin', don't come a-knockin'!" Jack laughed maniacally and pretended to kiss Elizabeth as she giggled, and Will rolled his eyes, turning towards Dina's building.

As he entered the foyer, he checked his watch. Thankfully, he was five minutes early. He wanted Dina to be in a good mood when they went out to eat. Will desperately wanted his girlfriend and Elizabeth to get along. He was pleased that Dina was finally making an effort to at least make acquaintances with Elizabeth. The reason she seemed to despise her was confusing to him. Perhaps it was jealousy, but she had never displayed the slightest hint of envy before. Maybe it really was the fact that Elizabeth had hurt him. Maybe Dina didn't want him subjected to that again. Whatever the reason, Will remained clueless.

It didn't take her long to answer the door when Will knocked. Upon seeing his girlfriend, he wrapped her in a large hug, which was returned happily. The couple shared a quick kiss before Dina locked the door.

"I'm glad you decided to come."

She gave him a small smile and replied, "Thank you for asking me. I've realized how stupid I've been. If you want to make up with her and start a new relationship, then who am I to stop you?"

"Thanks." Will slung his arm around her shoulder, giving her a small squeeze. When they got to the building's entrance, he held the door open for her. Dina began to walk outside, but stopped suddenly. Will peeked his head over his shoulder to see what had made her stop. His car, parked so carefully in front of her building, was rocking wildly, causing some passersby to stare, while others pointed and laughed from across the street.

"What the hell?" Dina's eyes were wide open, horrified that what she thought she was seeing was actually happening, in her boyfriend's car, no less.

Deep laughter from Will eased her confusion, although he did nothing to explain. They walked towards the bouncing automobile, and he banged his fist hard on the roof when he stood next to it. Will continued his gentlemanly manners by opening the door for Dina, smiling when the figures inside broke apart. Elizabeth was hysterical with laughter, and Jack tried his best to look indignant, pretending to straighten his clothes while yelling, "I thought I told you to not come a-knockin'!"

Will rushed around to the driver's side, and hopped in, still grinning. "Dina, this is Elizabeth Swann. Elizabeth, this is my girlfriend, Dina Garrott."

"It's so good to finally meet you, Dina! Will talks about you all the time."

"He's said quite a bit about you as well." She smiled, thinking that maybe there was a chance for them to get along after all.

The women continued to exchange pleasantries while they shook hands until Jack grabbed Elizabeth's hand and took it in his own. "Now, now, Dina. I know she's an extremely gorgeous specimen of woman, but Elizabeth is my date tonight."

Everyone laughed, and even Dina gave a small smile. The car lurched forward and began to make its way towards their destination. Will and Jack had decided to treat the girls to one of their favorite restaurants in London. It was a themed restaurant, which had done fantastic business ever since it opened. The men loved the novelties and the crazy props hanging on the walls, and the food wasn't bad either. A large sign mounted on the building proclaimed _Stars and Stripes_ in red, white, and blue, complete with neon lights in the shape of fireworks.

"An American restaurant?" Elizabeth asked as a man dressed as the iconic Uncle Sam paced the front on gigantic stilts. "Isn't this a bit stereotypical?"

"Who cares? It's bloody brilliant, it is!" Jack cackled as he and Will helped the women out of the car. "It's got all sorts of rooms decorated in American themes. And the employees are forced to dress the part!"

The song _Yankee Doodle Dandy_ was playing softly on the outdoor speakers, and explosions of the American colors bombarded their eyes as they walked in the front door, where a woman dressed as Marilyn Monroe stood, waiting to seat them.

"How many will be dining tonight?"

"Four!" Jack's fiendish glee embarrassed the others with him.

"Right this way." Marilyn led them through a few different rooms, each designed to represent a different part of American culture. One room was plastered in famous landmarks one would imagine when hearing the words "United States." Miniatures of the Statue of Liberty, Golden Gate Bridge, Sears Tower, Washington Monument, and Mount Rushmore filled the room. The next area was covered in Hollywood memorabilia, complete with the famous HOLLYWOOD sign and replicas of the Walk of Fame on the floor. The group could see the servers dressed as recognizable icons of Hollywood legend as they passed a gigantic wall full of autographed headshots of famous celebrities. At last, Marilyn stopped, seating them in a room that made Elizabeth feel as if she was caught in a John Wayne western. The scenery in the room made her thirsty just looking at the dry desert props. There was even an old stagecoach set up in the corner, next to a group of cacti.

"Jesse James will be your server tonight, and he'll be right with you." Everyone could tell by the tone of her voice that Marilyn was ready to go home.

The menus were already on the table, along with their silverware and napkins, which resembled the kerchiefs worn by the villains in the old cowboy movies. Will and Jack were already tying them around their necks, completely abandoning the fact that they were in their mid twenties.

"Isn't this fantastic?" Jack began to pick up Elizabeth's napkin and helped tie it around her neck, as Will did the same for Dina. Pretty soon, their boyish silliness had spread to the girls, and all four were laughing by the time Jesse James showed up to take their order.

"Welcome to the Wild West. My name's Jesse James, and I'll be taking care of y'all this evening, so long's the sheriff's not found me yet. What looks good on the menu?"

Jack quirked his eyebrows at the server. "You've still got a British accent, Jesse. What happened to getting into character?"

Leaning down, Jesse whispered, "They don't pay me enough for me to change my dialect." As his customers laughed, he inquired again, "What'll it be folks?"

After they ordered, the four busied themselves by practicing their John Wayne impressions. Eventually, Dina tired of the game and switched the conversation to a more adult discussion just as their food arrived.

"So, Elizabeth," she paused. "Will tells me you're working at Coldwater Books downtown. What made you decide to transfer down here to Sunderland?"

"This is going to sound cliché, but I suppose it sounded like an adventure. I've lived in Sunderland for nine years, and – forgive me for the pun – I felt like it was time to start a new chapter in my life."

"What's so bad about Sunderland? I hear it's a nice place…" Dina looked genuinely interested, but Jack became suspicious and glanced at Will, who looked a little anxious himself, even though Dina had _promised_ to be civil this evening. Will had told Jack what Dina had said that morning, and Jack had decided to watch out for Elizabeth. He knew how horrible Dina could be, even if Will didn't want to admit it.

Elizabeth was oblivious to the though process running through the head of the man next to her. "Oh, it is! I just…I dunno. I was ready to try and get out on my own. I mean, I didn't live with my parents – I had my own flat, but I still felt like there were strings that needed to be cut. And they offered me the position of assistant manager, which is something I couldn't pass up!"

"There's a girl at my office that used to live in Sunderland. Do you know Lauren Kinlan?"

Elizabeth's eyes grew wide. "Yes! She and I went to school together, and I eventually moved in a flat down the street from her place a year or so before she moved! It's a small world, isn't it?"

Dina smirked and gave Will a subtle _I told you so_ look. "Yes, it is."

Before she had a chance to say anything else, Will said, "You should try this clam chowder," and he shoved his spoon in his girlfriend's mouth. "They say it's from New England." Then he leaned close to her ear and hissed, "Just because she knows Lauren does _not_ mean all that other stuff is true. Just stop."

They continued their dinner in relative calmness, much to Will's relief. Soon, Jesse James reappeared. "How 'bout some dessert, folks? Nothing washes down some hearty eatin' like some good ol' apple pie. They say nothing says 'America' like apple pie."

They politely declined because they were all very full. Jesse left to print the bill, and Will excused himself from the table.

"I'm sorry, but I've got to go to the loo before we leave."

Dina stood with him. "I think I should go too."

Now that they were the only two left at the table, Elizabeth turned to Jack. "I've had a good time tonight."

"I would have had a better time if Will hadn't dragged Dina along."

"What a terrible thing to say! She seems really nice."

Jack snorted. "Nice until you get to know her. She _despises_ me. Hates my guts, she does. Then again, most women do…"

Elizabeth laughed. "I'm sure not every woman hates you. You've been a gentleman tonight. A silly, twelve year old gentleman, but a gentleman nonetheless."

"Thank you." He considered her face for a moment. "I really wish Will would dump her for you. I like you a lot better than her."

"Jack, while I appreciate the compliment, you shouldn't say things like that. I'm really happy for them, and I'd never do anything to jeopardize their relationship."

He sighed. "I know. I just…She's just not good enough for him, you know? He's never really had any girl that deserved him. Well, except for you, I guess."

This made her blush, and she decided to change the subject. Elizabeth looked around the room and said, "This isn't really that bad. I wonder what Americans would think if they walked into this place. You reckon they'd get offended? It is sort of over the top, isn't it?"

"Phfft. What does it matter? There're all kinds of theme restaurants over there. We get to keep these napkins, you know."

"Is that so?"

"Nah, but I do anyway. They'll never miss them." He untied the kerchief napkin and quickly pocketed the red cloth. Before Elizabeth could scold him, Will returned.

"That was a fast trip. Did you wash your hands?" Jack pretended to be disgusted.

"Ha ha. Very funny." He turned his attention to Elizabeth, looking very shy. "What do you think? You like her?" His eyes were hopeful and desperate to gain her approval.

"She's a very nice girl, Will. Dina's lucky to have you."

"That I am." Dina had just approached the three friends. As soon as they paid Jesse for their meal, they left.

* * *

A little less than two weeks had passed since Elizabeth had met Dina. Their first meeting had seemed pleasant enough, but from the three other times she had been around Will's girlfriend, Elizabeth couldn't help but walk away feeling as if Dina held a secret spite for her. She wasn't really sure why, and she assumed it was something Jack had told her at the Stars and Stripes restaurant that made her feel as if Dina were shooting her dirty looks out of the corner of her eye.

Pirate Party Fridays were still going on strong, and Elizabeth looked forward to them every week. Will continued to do his best to convince Dina to join them, but it was a fruitless effort. This disheartened him a little, Elizabeth could tell, but he never let it show when he was with her and Jack. It was about to get started again tonight, but Elizabeth had elected to stay in this Friday. Will had planned this weekend to be his and Dina's getaway weekend to the Rhine River, and Elizabeth just didn't feel like roaming The Pub by herself, even though Jack offered to let her hang out by their little ship and try her hand at playing the music.

Ellie curled herself on the throw laying haphazardly on Elizabeth's lap. The BBC was running a _Flying Circus_ marathon tonight, and she was comfortably sipping tea as the silly sketches played out on the telly. The constant purr emanating from her kitty's sleeping form allowed her to relax even further. For the first time in a long while, Elizabeth felt content with her life. The move to London had been a refreshing change of pace and had acted like a healing journey for her soul. Not that she had a bad life in Sunderland, but she had been through some harsh experiences she was not keen to relive here in London, especially since she had found Will and Jack. She had not had friends like them since she lived in Glastonbury.

Her thoughts were interrupted when her mobile began to ring. Carefully placing her tea on the coffee table, she shooed Ellie off her lap and walked towards the offending sound. The identity of the caller shocked her. According to the display, someone at Will and Jack's flat was calling her. She couldn't imagine what was going on, as Jack was at The Pub, and Will was halfway to Germany by now.

"Hello?" She was greeted with silence, although Elizabeth thought she heard music playing faintly in the background. "Hello?" she repeated, wondering if this was a prank being pulled on her.

"'Lizbeth." The voice was slurred, but she was sure she recognized its owner.

"Will? Will, is that you?"

More silence.

"Hello? Will, are you there?"

"Mmmmm. 'Lizbeth. I don't wanna be alone. I can't – "

"Are you drunk?"

"Maybe."

"Why aren't you in Germany?"

"Maybe I am. Maybe I'm not."

"You're calling me from your flat, Will."

"And so I am."

"What's going on?"

He didn't answer, and she heard a large crash, which scared her. She had never seen Will trashed and knew that it was not a common occurrence, as Jack loved to take the mickey out of his friend for his reluctance to binge.

"Will. I'm coming over. Don't go anywhere. Are you listening to me?"

"'Lizabeth…"

The connection was suddenly lost. She attempted to call him back but was unable to reach him on his mobile or apartment phone.

"Ellie, I'll be back." Elizabeth dashed out of her flat, quickly locking it up behind her, praying that Will would not do anything stupid before she could get to him.


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: I'm going to change the name of this story to Everybody Hates Dina. Hahahaha._

Paranoid thoughts flowed through Elizabeth's mind as she hurried down the street, half-walking and half-jogging to Will's flat. With every second that ticked by, her imagination got wilder and wilder, which made her anxiety rise very high, and her pulse quickened with each step she took. Unsure of why she was getting so worried, Elizabeth figured it had something to do with the way Will sounded and the fact that he was not behaving as he usually did. She was very curious as to what had stopped him from making his way to Germany.

She finally reached his building and took the steps two at a time, ascending the five flights of stairs very quickly. The sight of his door made her breath stop, just seconds after breathing heavily while she climbed the staircase. His front door was wide open, exposing the interior rooms and everything inside. The faint sound of music could be heard drifting through the doorway, but there was no sign of movement to be seen. Her instinct was telling her to phone the police, but she was desperate to discover what sort of condition her friend was in. Elizabeth came up with a lopsided compromise as she took out her mobile and placed a finger on the emergency speed-dial button. Slowly creeping towards Will's flat, she felt her hair prickle on the back of her neck and arms as a heightened sense of awareness overcame her. Before she walked in, she peeked her head inside, looking for any indication an intruder was lurking in a corner. Elizabeth spotted an umbrella propped against a wall near the door, and she grabbed it, thinking that having something to beat a criminal with was better than nothing at all. As she stepped inside the flat, the urge to turn around overwhelmed her as she realized she was in the same situation that most horror movie victims put themselves in right before they died. She half expected to hear Jack and Will's neighbors scream, "Don't go in there!"

Ignoring that particular thought, she continued searching the place, her eyes darting around, constantly looking for signs of trouble. Nothing appeared out of place, and once she felt a little braver, she softly called, "Will?"

Nothing but the sound of music answered her. Proceeding further, she tried again, this time a little louder, "Will?"

Still nothing. At last she could see into the living room, where Will sat leaning against the couch, an empty bottle of Jameson Irish Whiskey at his side. The sight allowed an intense surge of relief to wash over her body while at the same time an annoying irritation swept over her as she realized Will was probably never in any real danger. Elizabeth made her way back to Will's front door and replaced the umbrella where she found it. She pocketed her mobile and closed the door before returning to the living room to check on her friend. Jimi Hendrix's _Hey Joe_ was playing over the stereo while Will sat motionless with his eyes fixed on something invisible in front of him. Redness rimmed his bloodshot eyes, but she didn't know if it was because of the alcohol or if he had been crying.

_Uh, hey Joe, I heard you shot your woman down,_

_You shot her down._

_Uh, hey Joe, I heard you shot you old lady down,_

_You shot her down to the ground. Yeah!_

Elizabeth sat down on the floor beside him and noticed another unopened bottle of whiskey on his other side. "What's going on?"

Will remained silent, although she could see a muscle in his temple twitch as he clenched and unclenched his jaw in rhythm to the music.

"Do you want to talk?"

Again, he said nothing, only this time he fumbled for the unopened bottle beside him, which she quickly took away before he could grasp it.

"'Lizbeth. Give it back."

"How much have you had to drink tonight, Will?"

"Dunno. 'Swas only 'alf full." He loosely curled his fingers around the neck of the empty Jameson bottle.

"How about we have some coffee, hm? You keep any coffee in the kitchen?"

Will didn't respond, but Elizabeth took the empty and full bottles away from him and placed them in the kitchen, where she began to search the cupboards until she found some coffee hiding in the back of one of the cabinets. As it brewed, she kept an eye on Will, who continued to slouch against the piece of furniture.

When it was done, she brought two mugs back into the room and repositioned herself at his side. "Here. This will help you feel better."

A weak laugh escaped his lips, but he took the coffee mug from her and began to drink. Ten minutes passed in silence as the two quietly sipped the coffee. Elizabeth kept glancing at him as if she were afraid he would suddenly run away without warning.

"'M not going to do any thing stupid, Elizabeth."

"I never said you were."

"You keep looking at me."

"I'm just worried, is all. I've never seen you like this before." She paused, trying to decide whether to try and get him to talk again. "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

He gave a small grunt and continued to drink the last bit of his coffee, but the silence continued. Elizabeth didn't push the matter any further. She could tell by his movements he was beginning to sober up, albeit very slowly.

They sat in the still room for a few more moments before either spoke again. This time it was Will.

"I caught her fucking some bloke on her couch."

The sudden sound of his voice and the harshness of the statement startled her. She just stared at him blankly, unsure of what to say. His jaw continued its clenching motion as his eyes focused harder on the invisible object in front of him.

"Will…I'm so sorry."

"I knocked on her door to pick her up for this bloody trip, but she didn't answer. So, I tried the door, and it was unlocked, and then…" he trailed off as he shut his eyes. "I saw them. I just stood there for a few seconds, not really understanding what I was seeing, and then…I left. Came straight back here, and me and Jameson's been having a time of it ever since."

"That's horrible, Will."

"I trusted her. She…I had this whole sodding weekend planned, and then I find her…" He opened his eyes, and tears were threatening to fall as he looked at Elizabeth for the first time that evening. "She broke my heart. My…my heart's broken, Elizabeth…"

The tears he had tried to stop from flowing finally fell, as he dropped his empty mug and placed his head in his hands. Elizabeth didn't know what to do, so she started to gently rub his back, doing her best to soothe him, even though she knew there was nothing she could say or do that would ease his pain. He continued to cry for a few more minutes, and Elizabeth continued to stroke his back in silence.

When he spoke again, his voice was very soft, and Elizabeth had to lean down to hear him. "I'm sorry, Elizabeth."

"You've got nothing to be sorry for!"

"I shouldn't have called you over here. I don't mean to get you involved in all this…I just didn't know what else to do."

"I don't mind, Will. Really. I'm glad you called me. I know there's nothing I can do that will make you feel any better, but at least you've got company, right? I find that having someone to talk to can make you a bit calmer. It helps me, anyway."

Even though he had just spent the last few minutes crying, Will did his best to hide the fact he was wiping his tears away. Looking into her face, he could tell she was being sincere with him, that she really didn't mind coming to his flat to find out why he had gotten sloshed. She was concerned about him, and that touched him very deeply. "Thank you, Elizabeth."

She smiled warmly, "Anytime."

They hugged one another for a moment, still sitting in the floor as the rest of Jimi Hendrix's album played on. "Can I get you some more coffee?"

Will shook his head. "No, thanks. I'd better not drink any more. I'll never get to sleep." His fingers began to rub the sides of his head. "Gods, I'm going to have a hell of a hangover tomorrow, I can already tell."

A loud, rapid knocking suddenly sounded from the front door. Will groaned and squeezed his eyes shut, as if doing so would block out the horrible noise. Elizabeth offered to answer the door for him, but he declined and reluctantly got up to do so. She elected to sit on the couch and wait for him to get back while he disappeared around the corner, heading for the front of the flat.

Elizabeth heard the door open before Will said, "You've got some nerve coming here." Even though she couldn't see anyone, she knew from those words and the tone of his voice that Dina was standing at the door.

"Will – "

"Go away."

"Will, I came here to explain…"

"Explain? Dina, what the hell is there to explain? Did he just happen to fall down and get his penis stuck inside you?"

"Will – "

"Just leave."

"Can I not just say something first?"

There was a pause, and it was clear that Dina was not expecting Will to allow her that opportunity because she stumbled through her next words.

"He's…I – Will, he's a good guy. Jeff – "

"Jeff?"

"He works at the office."

"And that's supposed to make me feel better?"

"Jeff is someone who's ready to settle down. He's got a plan for the future, and he's…He knows what he wants."

"And I don't?"

Dina sighed. "Will, you've just not acted all that excited about the future. OUR future."

Will's voice became a lot louder. "Why didn't you tell me this? You never even asked, Dina! How the hell am I supposed to read your mind and be able to tell that you felt this way?"

"Will, keep your voice down."

The door slammed very loudly. "There! Now no one can complain because I'm being loud in my own damn bloody flat!"

There was a long, uncomfortable silence between them, and Elizabeth felt very awkward listening in on their argument, although there was nothing she could do to prevent herself from doing so. Will was the first to break the silence.

"So, Jeff told you all this tonight? He suddenly produced plans to whisk you away for a _future_?" He didn't even try to keep the maliciousness out of his voice.

Dina did not reply. After a few seconds, Elizabeth heard Will groan.

"Damn, Dina! How long has this been going on?"

In a very tiny voice, she replied, "The past couple of weeks."

Elizabeth supposed a sudden realization had struck Will. "That's why you've not been coming to The Pub." It wasn't a question. "Get out. Get out of my flat, Dina."

"Will, just let me talk to you for a few more – "

Dina had just stepped into the living room and seen the visitor on Will's couch. Elizabeth quickly stood and faced her.

"Dina – " Will warned, but he was interrupted.

"What's she doing here?"

"I asked her to come over."

"Thought you'd get a revenge screw?"

Elizabeth cocked her eyebrows at the audacious statement as Will tried to interrupt, "Dina – "

"You'd better not let her touch you, Will. She might give you an STD."

"Excuse me?" Elizabeth's voice drowned out Will's protest, and he had to jump in front of her to prevent a catfight in his living room.

"Dina, get out of my flat before I call the police!"

She smirked and turned towards the door. "Fine. I don't want to catch anything from her anyway."

The front door slammed, and Will turned to Elizabeth, who was furious and red in the face. "I'm sorry, Elizabeth. I didn't mean for you to get dragged into this."

"It's fine. That wasn't your fault." Her words were clipped as she tried to get her emotions under control. Will could tell that Dina had hit a nerve with Elizabeth, and he felt very guilty for allowing it to happen. He felt even worse when the anger disappeared from her face as tears welled in her eyes.

"Elizabeth…"

"I'm sorry, Will. I think I'd better go. Ellie's all by herself and – "

Will wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her into a hug. "Please don't cry, Elizabeth. Dina's just trying to inflict some pain on me and you, even though you don't deserve any of it. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She sniffed into his shoulder, using all the restraint she had to keep her tears at bay. "You can't put any stock in what she said. Please don't cry."

His voice rumbled inside his chest, and the vibrations calmed Elizabeth enough to allow her to gain control. She wrapped her arms around his ribs and squeezed him hard. "I should be the one apologizing. You've had a shitty night, and all I can do is cry at some childish insult."

"Don't worry about it. I feel fine. Still drunk…but otherwise okay."

She couldn't help but laugh at his joke. Elizabeth pulled away, still smiling and holding onto him. She was glad to see a small smile on his face as well.

"Feeling better?" he asked.

"Yes, actually. Thank you." They stood staring at one another for a moment, unsure of what to do, now that Dina was gone.

"Anytime." His words were soft spoken, and they caused Elizabeth's eyes to flutter shut. Will rested his forehead against hers, wordlessly thanking her for everything she'd done for him that evening. Before either of them realized what was happening, their lips brushed together, and the two shared their first kiss in almost ten years.

Elizabeth was the first to comprehend what they were doing, and she backed away from Will. "Oh, Will…I'm sorry. We shouldn't. Not right now."

"What?"

"It's not right. I shouldn't have. The whole thing with Dina – and the fact that you're intoxicated right now…Will, I should go."

She began to walk past him, but he grabbed her arm to stop her. "Elizabeth…"

"I just don't think it's a good idea for me to stay here. I – "

"Elizabeth, I'm sorry. That was my fault. I just…I don't want to be alone tonight. Please?"

"I don't know…"

"You can sleep in Jack's room. He'll be at the Pirate Party all night. Then he's got to go into the office in the morning for some meetings. He probably won't be home until noon."

Elizabeth hesitated, torn between doing what she knew she should and doing what would comfort Will. Finally, she gave in.

"Okay. But I'm going to stay on the couch."

"Good. Okay. Thanks."

She could tell he was very relieved she had decided to stay, but fatigue was finally starting to overcome him.

"Will, why don't you go on to bed, and I'll clean up a little."

"Oh, no…I couldn't let you."

"It's fine. I don't mind. Really. Go on. I'll see you in the morning."

Will nodded and squeezed her hand in a gesture of unspoken appreciation before heading into his bedroom and closing the door behind him.


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: Okay, so it's been a while. I've been busy at work. Yes, I'm actually working now. I've also not put on the disclaimer in this entire story, but just know that I don't own anything._

When Will woke from his deep slumber, he had to close his eyes to shield them from the bright morning sun that was streaming through his window. The clock on his bedside table displayed the time as 9:44 am. He didn't mean to sleep this late, but apparently his hangover gave him no choice. As soon as he threw himself on his bed the night before, sleep quickly found him.

Surprisingly, his head didn't feel like it was splitting in two. There was still a dull, throbbing pain that pounded against his skull, but the common hangover symptoms he usually experienced were not there. He supposed it might have something to do with the coffee Elizabeth had made him, but he doubted it.

The thought of Elizabeth brought forth the memory of what had happened last night. Will sat up and stretched. It had been a horrible night, and Elizabeth had been his saving grace. He figured that she had probably already left his flat by now. She had always been an early riser, and she probably had a lot of things to do today, it being Saturday, and all. He ran one of his hands over his face to help wake himself up a little more before standing. He was still dressed in the clothes he wore the day before and felt grimy. Deciding that a shower was the best thing for him, Will crossed the room heading for the tiny bathroom that was attached to his bedroom, while stripping himself of his clothes, throwing them haphazardly all over his floor. The warm water of the shower did wonders for him, and he stayed under the showerhead's spray a few minutes longer than he normally would have. After he turned off the faucets, Will grabbed his towel and did a poor job of drying himself off, as there were water droplets still running down his chest and back, as well as dripping off his short hair.

Deciding that his growling stomach was more important than finding clothes at the moment, Will wrapped his slightly damp towel around his waist and headed for the kitchen. Annoyed at his half-assed job of drying himself, he shook his head as he walked to help dry his hair a bit more. As he got closer, he could smell something delicious wafting down the hall, and he wondered if Jack had a short morning at the radio station's office meeting and had gotten home early. Gripping his towel firmly so his roommate wouldn't be able to yank it away, Will finally entered the kitchen and was extremely shocked to discover Elizabeth had _not_ gone home yet.

"Jeezy Chreezy!" he yelled and ran off to his bedroom to find something to wear while Elizabeth laughed.

When he returned, he was sporting a plain white undershirt and a pair of manky old gym shorts. She could tell he was a little embarrassed because a faint blush had appeared on his face. Will made his way to the table and took a seat. "Sorry about that. Didn't know you were still here."

She gave him a small smile before pulling some muffins out of the oven. "It's okay. I've seen you naked before."

He laughed a little, but then his thoughts turned to the events of last night. Will wasn't sure of what to say to her because he wasn't sure how she was feeling about everything that had happened with him being drunk and then Dina coming over and then that kiss…

Before he could broach the subject, Elizabeth had set a plate of muffins in front of him. "Do you want some coffee?"

Will wasn't all that fond of coffee, but it seemed to be the only thing Elizabeth drank in front of him, and he felt bad refusing her kind gesture of making breakfast, so he accepted the offer of coffee, even though he would have rather had something like milk.

"Sure. Thanks for making breakfast. You didn't have to go to all this trouble."

Elizabeth poured the fresh brew into mugs and said, "Well, I know. I was just getting hungry, and I thought that you'd be up pretty soon anyway. I hope you don't mind that I went through your food to find something to cook."

"I don't mind at all. We never cook anything, so it might as well get used before it ruins."

Elizabeth joined Will at the table and handed him his coffee. "Thanks…and also," he paused, wanting to talk about the previous night, but unsure how to bring it up, "Thanks for coming over…last night."

She smiled. "It's no big deal. You would have done the same for me."

"Yeah."

Both of them knew the thoughts of the other, but neither could bring themselves to continue the discussion. He was feeling very confused about what had happened in the past fifteen hours, and Elizabeth had felt the same way, although not quite as badly as Will. The rest of their meal was eaten in silence.

They finished eating about the same time, and Elizabeth collected the dishes and walked to the sink. Will protested, but she insisted on washing them before she left. He stared at her while she filled the sink with water, unable to take his eyes away from her figure. Elizabeth glanced at him over her shoulder and gave him a small smile before turning towards the dirty plates and bowls and pans floating in the hot water. There was so much chaos in Will's head that he couldn't think properly, but one thought remained in the front of his mind. Elizabeth, the girl he'd befriended a little over twelve years ago, had turned into a beautiful woman. He couldn't understand how she could look so attractive just by washing his dirty dishes.

Will's body began to act on its own as he stood, crossing the room to stand by her side. "Let me help you."

"Oh, Will. That's not necessary."

"You went to the trouble to make breakfast. The least I can do is help clean up."

He grabbed a towel off the counter and began to dry the dishes she had just cleaned. They worked in silence, and every once in a while, their hands would brush together as she handed him a plate or spoon, and a giddy, tingling feeling shot through his arm. He'd not experienced the feeling since he was a teenager.

As Elizabeth handed Will the last piece of dinnerware, he did his best to let his hand linger over hers. Her eyes met his, and they stared at one another, increasing the unspoken, heated tension that had lingered over them all morning. Abandoning the sink and dish, Will turned towards her, closing the gap between them. Just before their lips met, Elizabeth pulled away.

"Will, we can't."

"Why?" He continued to move closer as she backed away.

"Because…" The counter had halted her attempted retreat. "Because…What about last night?"

"What do you mean?" His hands began to slowly rub her shoulders, as her fingers gripped the countertop very tightly.

"I just don't think this is a good idea." Elizabeth was not being totally honest. There was a part of her inside that was desperately seeking some sort of intimate contact. It had been so long since she had felt a man's touch. Her self-control was strong, but Will's caresses were beginning to undermine it.

"Why not?" His hands moved from her shoulders and down her arms, then back again.

"Because…"

Will bent his head towards her ear and whispered, "Elizabeth, I'm not drunk, and this is what I want…"

When his lips rediscovered the sensitive area behind her ear, she felt the wall of resistance she had been building crumble to the ground. Her fingers released their vice-like grip on the countertop and began to run through his short hair, while at the same time pulling his face to hers and capturing his teasing lips in a fervent kiss.

Will gladly returned her affections. His fingers fumbled with the buttons on her blouse as she clumsily tried to pull his shirt away from his body. By the time she succeeded, the white undershirt lay forgotten on the kitchen floor and her shoulders held the thin material of her own shirt loosely against her body.

Their kiss deepened, and it was no longer a controlled, passionate kiss. Their tongues battled to occupy the same space while most of their concentration focused on their hands again, which were busy trying to unfasten the buttons on Elizabeth's jeans. Their attention span was short, as neither could decide what they wanted more: being undressed as quickly as possible or allowing their hands to roam wildly over the other's body.

Will's hands eventually made their way towards Elizabeth's backside, firmly grabbing and lifting her into the air, allowing her to feel his arousal pressed against her. She reacted to this gesture by wrapping her legs around his waist, never breaking their frantic kiss. They stayed this way for a few seconds before Will shoved her onto the counter. A loud bang and Elizabeth's cry ("Ow!") startled him as he pulled back to see her grabbing the back of her head.

"Elizabeth! I'm so – "

He was silenced when she placed a delicate finger against his lips and breathily whispered, "Bedroom."

Not needing to be told twice, Will once again took Elizabeth in her arms. He stumbled towards his bedroom, bumping into furniture along the way. Neither seemed to notice these small setbacks, as they were once again engaged in a heavy snog.

When they finally arrived, bruised but eager, Elizabeth slid from Will's grasp, standing on her own two feet yet again. They wasted no time shedding their clothes, discarding them carelessly on the bedroom floor. In record time, they both stood before one another completely nude, making their way to his bed.

Will sat on the edge, but Elizabeth pushed him on his back, straddling his hips and looking down at his torso. The awkward, lanky body she had seen when she was a teenager was no where to be found. His body had developed slightly defined muscles – not the bodybuilder six-pack, but she could feel the definition underneath her fingers as she ran her hands along his stomach and chest.

His body wasn't the only one that had changed. Will could not keep his eyes off the curves that had developed over the past few years. Her breasts had grown slightly in size, and the tiny amount of baby fat that still lingered at age fifteen had disappeared altogether, leaving a smooth, slender figure sitting above him. She was gazing intently at his face, and he was so lost in her appearance that it came as a surprise when he felt Elizabeth lower herself onto his erection, completely surrounding him. Will's head rolled back as he let out a low moan.

As soon as he felt himself slide into her, they began to move. Their hips bucked against one another at a rapid pace. All of their movements were motivated by some unseen sense of urgency. It felt animalistic, carnal even. Sounds were emerging from both of them, which only intensified their arousal, as their previous sexual encounters had remained mostly silent.

Elizabeth's hands continued to roam over Will's chest, and she reveled in the effect it had on him. As his hips began to thrust harder, she had to abandon her exploration of his torso. Her hands moved to his shoulders to give her body the support it needed to meet his motions. In return, his hands moved to her bum, cupping it and relishing the softness he found there.

"HOLY HELL!"

The voice from the doorway put a stop to the two friends' movements. Their heads snapped towards the sound and discovered the figure of their mutual friend standing there, his eyes wide open and unbelieving of what he was witnessing.

There was a second's pause as the two on the bed realized what had just happened. When the revelation clicked, Elizabeth shrieked and dove for the blanket, desperately trying to cover herself while Will grabbed a book off the bedside table and chucked it at his roommate while yelling, "Get the hell out!"

Luckily for Jack, Will missed him and the book bounced off the wall. He ran from the doorway as quickly as he could, afraid that his friend would be more accurate in his next attempt.

Will gave a great sigh and rested his hands over his eyes. He felt Elizabeth shift slightly beside him and looked at her. The comforter was hiding her from his view. All he could see was a mass of lumps in the shape of her body. Rolling over, he gently pulled the cover off her face. Elizabeth had her eyes closed, but opened them when the blanket was taken away and proceeded to cover her face with her hands.

"Oh gods! That was absolutely mortifying." She removed her hands and looked directly into Will's eyes. "How am I going to be able to face Jack again after he's seen…" She hid her face in her hands once again.

If the situation had been any different, Will might have smiled. The way she looked right now made her absolutely adorable. Feeling guilty for not locking the door – or at least closing the damn thing – he reached out to remove her hands from her face.

"I'm sorry, Elizabeth."

Her expression was sad, and she caressed the side of his face as a reassuring gesture before standing. "Will, I…I think I'd better go."

"Why?"

"I just…" She turned and looked at him with a small, almost sad, smile. "I think it's time for me to get back to my flat."

He sat up in his bed, scanning her face, unsure of why she had suddenly changed gears. "Is there something wrong? I mean, other than the fact that Jack just saw both of us starkers?" He tried making a joke, hoping to see her smile, but was disappointed.

"I'm fine, Will. It's already late in the morning, and I've got to get back to feed Ellie." She knew he could see right through her lame excuse but was thankful he didn't press the matter.

Will stood up to join her and helped her gather her clothes, while getting dressed as well. The white shirt he had been wearing was still in the kitchen. Dreading the moment he would have to face Jack, he did his best to prolong Elizabeth's stay. But she couldn't be swayed. As slowly as he could, he walked her to the front door.

"Bye, Will."

"Bye."

When the door closed, he rested his forehead against the cool wood, wondering what had happened. He had a hard time comprehending how they had gone from breakfast to touching to kissing to sex and now to goodbye so fast. Will could feel a headache creeping up the back of his neck, but it had nothing to do with the amount of alcohol he consumed the night before.

He headed back to his room, disappointed that Elizabeth had left so suddenly, but also irked at Jack for interrupting them. _Why couldn't he have given me forty-five more seconds?_ The fire Elizabeth had set within him was still burning furiously, so he decided to extinguish it with cold water by sticking his head underneath the bathtub faucet. His attempts were futile, and he only succeeded in making himself cold and dripping wet.

Will climbed to his feet and made his way to the kitchen, intending to retrieve his shirt and then find Jack. Much to his surprise, Jack was already sitting at the kitchen table, eating the leftover muffins Elizabeth had made. Doing his best to give his roommate the evil eye, Will walked over to his forgotten undershirt and pulled it over his head as Jack commented, "Nice show, mate. Do you do weddings? Bar mitzvahs?"

"Shut the hell up." He did his best to sound intimidating, but he couldn't hide his blush as he tried his best to subtly cover the enormous bulge protruding underneath his shorts. Realizing there was no way to hide it, Will sat down at the table with Jack. The two sat in silence for a few minutes. Jack was waiting for his friend to explain what was going on, but Will refused to talk.

"Where's Elizabeth?"

"She left."

"You were that bad, huh?" He grinned, but all he got in return was a glare from his roommate. "Why'd she leave, then?"

Will narrowed his eyes. "Oh, I don't know, Jack. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you humiliated her when you barged in on us."

"Barged in! What the hell are you talking about?" He was completely dumfounded. "You're the one that left your bloody door wide open! I wouldn't have even stopped if I hadn't noticed that the girl you were shagging was not Dina!"

At this, Will stopped glaring at Jack and looked away. The mention of his _ex_-girlfriend's name created a lump in his throat that he could not swallow. His stomach began to tie itself into knots, and he struggled to maintain a strong grip on his emotions. The familiar clenching ritual of his jaw began, and it did not go unnoticed by his roommate.

"You're doing that weird thing with your jaw. What's going on, Will?"

Again, he said nothing and kept his eyes focused on something other than Jack's piercing gaze.

"Why aren't you in Germany?"

He was finally able to swallow the lump in his throat to speak. "I…I caught Dina having sex with another bloke."

Jack's eyes grew wide. "Damn. Sorry, mate."

"Yeah." Will went silent once again.

"So…" He wanted his friend to continue and did his best to come up with another question that wouldn't be too pressing. Will interrupted before he had the chance to ask.

"After I found her, I came back here and finished off that bottle of Jameson whiskey. I asked Elizabeth to come over."

"Why didn't you call me?"

"I didn't want to bother you. You were busy at The Pub."

"You know that wouldn't matter if it were something important. Besides, what better place is there to get wasted than on Friday nights at The Pub?"

"I know. I just wasn't thinking clearly last night." Will rubbed his face and ran his hands through his hair. "Anyway, she came over and sat with me, and I explained everything to her. Then Dina showed up wanting to talk…ended up seeing Elizabeth there with me and had a go at her."

"They fought?"

"No. Dina just threw a sodding insult at her. I kicked her out, but I know it really upset Elizabeth, which made me feel even worse."

"What did she say?"

"Something about me catching an STD from her or something."

"What kind of lame crack is that?"

Will sighed. "Apparently some girl at Dina's office has told her some rumors about Elizabeth's lifestyle before she moved to London."

"What? That she walked the streets in Sunderland?"

"No, not exactly. She's supposed to have had a lot of boyfriends. I'm not really sure I believe it. It's just something Dina wants to use against her for whatever reason."

"I've always thought she was a bitch. Now she's just proved she's a stupid one, as well."

Will looked away and continued his story. "I apologized to Elizabeth, and then…" He paused, unsure as to whether he should tell Jack about their kiss. He decided that since Jack had already seen more than that, he might as well divulge everything. "Then I kissed her."

To his surprise, Jack said nothing – didn't even attempt to make a joke. He just stared across the table at Will with his brow furrowed.

"What?" Will asked.

"Then what happened?"

He narrowed his eyes before saying, "She stopped it…I asked her to stay the night, and she slept on the couch."

"So how did you two – "

Irritated, he cut him off, "I don't know, Jack. It just did. Everything happened so fast. One minute we're eating breakfast, and the next thing I know we're…in my room."

Jack continued to stare at him, as if he was trying to penetrate his soul. In fact, Will thought he eerily resembled a father sizing up his daughter's date. He shifted uncomfortably beneath his friend's gaze. At long last, Jack spoke.

"This doesn't sound like you Will."

"What doesn't?"

"It sounds to me as if you've invited Elizabeth over for a chance to get back at Dina." Will started to interrupt, but Jack stopped him. "Because if that's what this is, I swear I'll punch you in the face right now, Will Turner. You're my best mate, but Elizabeth doesn't deserve that. I've only known her for a few months, but she's a sweet girl, and she's the closest I've ever come to having a woman as a friend. I'll be damned if I let you hurt her."

Will was in shock. He couldn't believe that Jack would accuse him of something so malicious. Didn't he know him better? "You know I'd never do anything like that!"

"You'd better not!"

"I wouldn't! I'll never!"

"Then tell me, William – why were you having sex with her this morning?"

"I DON'T KNOW, JACK!"

His reaction surprised Jack. He could tell Will was troubled and confused, which really made him worry about his roommate. Never before had he seen his best friend in such a state. Will brought his arms to the table, resting his elbows against its surface, and then placed his head in his upturned hands.

"I don't know what's wrong with me, Jack. My mind is so muddled, I can't think properly, and I'm terribly grief stricken over a slag that tore my heart out of my chest. I know I shouldn't have done what I did with Elizabeth, but it's too late to take it back now."

"So, what are you going to do?"

Will lifted his eyes to his friend's and flatly stated, "Nothing. There's nothing I can do to change what's happened."

With that, he stood and walked numbly back to his bedroom, closed the door, and fell on his bed, praying that sleep would come and take him away.


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: How exciting!_

Will shuffled to the bar, feeling extremely exhausted from just being conscious the past five days. It wasn't that he was tired, necessarily, but he felt drained. All of the confusion building up inside of him had taken away all of his energy. And even though he was slightly irritated at Jack for insisting that he join him for Tuesday Night Specials, Will was secretly glad to be back in a familiar place – away from everything that had been haunting him for the last few days. As he approached the counter, he caught the attention of Tom.

"Will! You're looking a little rough around the edges!" The bartender was slightly taken aback at his patron's appearance. There was a thick collection of stubble all around the young man's face, and his hair looked as if he had just rolled out of bed. Thankfully, there was no smell coming from his body…at least, not any that Tom could detect.

"I've had a hell of a week, Tom."

The barkeep gave him a sympathetic smile before handing him a pint of Will's favorite beer. "Sorry to hear that. It's good to see you again, though. Missed having you around."

Will took out his wallet to pay for his drink, but Tom waved it away, insisting the drink was on the house tonight. He thanked him for his generosity, and then turned to begin his walk back to the table where Jack had taken position.

"You look bloody awful. Could you not have combed your hair before you came?"

Will laughed and took a long swig from his pint.

"I'm glad you dragged your arse out of your room. I was beginning to wonder whether you'd died in there. There was no way in hell I was going to go in there to find out either. I'm not too keen on the smell of decay."

"I've not been stuck in my room!" he protested. "I've been busy at work, is all. In the past two days, I've managed to build five frames. Five frames! Do you know how difficult that is?"

"No."

"Hmph."

It was a very impressive accomplishment on Will's part. It had been a shop record, in fact. Five frames in two days constructed by one person was quite a task in their small shop. The truth was, Will had gone into work early and left late every evening because he couldn't stand being in his flat. All he did while he was at home was sit in his room, alone. When he was alone, all he had was his thoughts, and they were driving him crazy. Toiling away at work afforded him the chance to get away from his musings. All of his concentration was poured into his labor. By the time he arrived home last night, he was too tired to do anything but flop down on his bed and sleep.

"What's got your knickers in a twist?" Jack asked.

"Nothing. I'm just tired."

"Don't give me that 'I'm just tired' crap. I'm one of the laziest people in the world, and even I don't spend that much time in my room sulking."

Will looked indignant. "I haven't been sulking."

"Whatever, mate. All I know is, I've not seen you in almost three and a half days. In all the time we've been in our flat, that's never happened before. Something's going on with you, Will. You still pining over Dina? I really hope the answer is no."

Will took another long drink before speaking. "I've been doing my best to stay busy. If I slow down for one second, I'm forced to acknowledge how I'm feeling…"

"Oh, damn, Will. I didn't mean for this to turn into a touchy-feely discussion. Please…"

Ignoring Jack's comment, he continued, "The thing is, I thought I'd be more upset about Dina, but in a way, I've sort of felt really relieved. I mean, I'm still hurt by everything she did. Nine months is a _really_ long time to be with someone, you know?"

Jack gave him a look that said, _How would I know what a nine month relationship is like?_

"So, uh…anyway, the whole thing with Dina hasn't been bothering me nearly as much as I thought it would."

"Then why have you been missing since Saturday? You're telling me that not feeling miserable about Dina is what's kept you holed up in your room?"

"No."

"Then, what is it?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Honestly, as long as you don't get all mushy, I don't mind you telling me."

"It's not that, Jack."

"Give me a reason, then."

Will stared at him from across the table for a few seconds. Even though Jack pretended to be disinterested in his friend's troubles at times, he knew deep down that Jack was truly concerned for his welfare, and for that, Will was always grateful.

"Actually…" he paused. Admitting to Jack what had been vexing him the past few days would only make Will face the reality of his problem.

"Well? Go on!"

"It's Elizabeth."

"Oh." Jack studied his friend for a moment. "What about Elizabeth?"

"That's what's been bugging me all week. I just don't know!"

"What are you talking about?"

Will sighed. "It's just…I'm wondering if what happened Saturday was a mistake. And that makes me feel sick, Jack."

"Explain. And choose your next words carefully." His fatherly nature had returned.

"What I mean is that I'm afraid I've really hurt her. I'm afraid that I pushed something that shouldn't have happened and that it was a mistake and that I've really fucked things up."

"Why?"

"Because," Jack could have sworn he saw tears forming in his friend's eyes, "I can't stop thinking about her."

"What's wrong with that?"

"Logic tells me that it's too soon. I shouldn't be interested in someone else – not after what happened Friday. I don't know if I'm mentally ready for something new. I don't know if that's what I need. And I'm terrified that the reason we had sex was because subconsciously I wanted to feel something other than pain that night. I'm afraid that a selfish desire caused me to do something that I'll regret for the rest of my life…something that she'll regret as well. And before you start in on me, I can already tell you I'm not interested in finding someone to take as a rebound date." He closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. "We just found each other again. What if everything is lost?" Will let his head fall to the table. "What have I done, Jack?"

"I don't know what to tell you, mate. Are you thinking of starting something with her, like some sort of romantic relationship?"

Will mumbled into the table. "I don't know."

"How does Elizabeth feel about it?"

Will remained silent and motionless, which was very suspicious behavior in Jack's point of view.

"Will?"

Sheepishly, he lifted his head. "Actually, I haven't seen or talked to her since she left Saturday."

"Damn, Will! What is your problem?"

"What?"

"It's been three days since you've even talked to her! You're such a bastard."

This made Will angry. "Don't lecture me on calling girls, Jack."

"This is different, you stupid prat! She's your best mate from childhood. You're sitting here moping about what a terrible time you've been having, but have you thought about what she's going through? I mean, yeah, you've had your shitty excuse of a girlfriend cheat on you, but you said yourself that it didn't bother you _that_ much. Elizabeth, on the other hand, gets a call from your drunk arse – late at night, I'm assuming – and comes running over to the flat to see what's wrong, gets pissed on by _your_ ex-girlfriend, kissed by a drunk William Turner, stays the night to make sure you don't choke on your own vomit, cleans up your bloody mess, cooks you breakfast, and allows you have sex with her. And you're telling me you haven't talked to her since?"

Jack's words stung, but Will knew that every single one of them was the absolute truth. "What should I do?"

"I think that's the wrong question, mate."

Will stared at him with a confused expression.

Speaking slowly, as if his friend were three years old, Jack continued, "The question is: _Why are you still here_?"

There was silence as what Jack had said sunk in. Without saying a word, Will leapt from his seat and rushed out of the pub.

Jack raised his bottle to his lips and grinned, "Clueless git."

* * *

Ellie was happily curled up on Elizabeth's lap, tired from the play session they had earlier that evening. The cat's favorite toy – a catnip laced mouse – had been relentlessly thrown by her owner and promptly retrieved by Ellie. This game could go on for hours if Elizabeth would allow it, but unfortunately for her kitty, she didn't find the game nearly as entertaining and Ellie. And normally, when the game was halted, her cat would stare at her, as if pouting, but tonight (and the night before and the night before that and the night before that), Ellie seemed content to accept Elizabeth's decision and jumped on her lap to get scratched behind the ears. She rarely displayed such willingness to stop playing, but somehow, this cat had a magnificent ability to understand human emotions, even if they remained unspoken. Elizabeth felt as if her little feline friend had been keeping a close watch over her, ever since she had returned to her flat Saturday afternoon.

"How do you know, Ellie? Hmm?" The only response she received was the steady rhythm of a purr.

She felt a little disappointed that she had not heard from Will. Not that she expected him to contact her, since they technically weren't in any sort of romantic relationship, but at the same time, it seemed so out of character for him. Elizabeth realized he went through a traumatic experience, and he was probably still hurting from his shattered relationship with Dina, but she didn't understand why he hadn't attempted to call her. Then again, she hadn't made any attempt either. She had come close a few times, but just before she dialed his number, she stopped.

A romantic relationship was not what Elizabeth was interested in at the moment. Especially with the man she had just rediscovered after nine years. She wasn't too keen on the idea of possibly ruining their reestablished friendship, although, sleeping with him on Saturday was definitely something that added a new perspective.

But the thing that had bothered her most – more than not hearing from William Turner – were the snide comments from Dina.

"_Thought you'd get a revenge screw?"_

"_You'd better not let her touch you, Will. She might give you an STD."_

"_I don't want to catch anything from her anyway."_

Elizabeth had never had a problem with her. She had the impression that Dina was somewhat wary of her, but she assumed it had something to do with the history between her and Will. But those insults…They had touched a nerve. She couldn't imagine how Dina could even _pretend_ to know something about her. It wasn't as if what she had said was true. It was the way she had implied it – as if she knew something about Elizabeth – that unnerved her.

While it was true Elizabeth had had other boyfriends in Sunderland, she was always careful. Always. She insisted on using protection, both in the forms of condoms and birth control. And she had regular check ups and tests at her gynecologist's office. There was no logical reason why Dina's remarks made her emotions so topsy turvy, but Elizabeth just felt so…undeserving? It didn't really describe everything she felt, but it seemed the most appropriate adjective to use.

If there was one thing Elizabeth was grateful for, it was they way she had managed to keep the waterworks from flowing these past few days. Normally, she would have been an emotional basketcase, but for whatever reason, her eyes had stayed dry. Her only problem had been the constant moping, which had been noticed by Ellie and her poor coworkers, who were forced to put up with the depressing behavior for two days, although they did so without complaint. They were more concerned than anything.

A knock at her door pulled her from her thoughts, and she wondered who could be coming to see her this late at night. Ellie jumped from her lap immediately, leaving little hairs all over Elizabeth's pajama pants. As she tried to brush the cat's fur away, she realized how terrible she must look. The pants and shirt she wore were comfortable but looked horrific because they were so old. Her hair was flying in all directions, so she hastily threw it up into a ponytail as she hurried towards the door and opened it. Her jaw dropped when she saw who was standing outside.

Will Turner stood in front of her, out of breath and looking more scraggly than she had ever seen him. The stubble on his face was almost thick enough to be a short beard, and his hair, although short, was sticking out in every direction. His eyes were wild, and he just stood there, staring at her in silence.

Elizabeth self-consciously wrapped her arms around her chest and squeaked, "Will? What are you doing here?"

His mouth opened and closed a few times while he searched for words. Her tone wasn't accusing him of anything, but he found it unusual she had not asked him if there was something wrong. Under any other circumstances, she would have been worried by his appearance, but tonight…something was different, and that scared him a little.

Elizabeth shifted uncomfortably as he stared at her. His brain refused to make a connection between his thoughts and mouth, effectively rendering him unable to speak. When his words finally did come, they came in stutters.

"I…uh…" he stammered. "Um…Hey."

She eyed him warily, "Hi."

"I…I was with Jack at The Pub tonight."

She looked him up and down, considering the idea that he might possibly be drunk. It would certainly help explain the way he looked, as well as the sudden appearance at her doorstep.

"Okay…"

Will could see in her face that she wasn't following his incoherent speech. "Yeah, so…I was having a drink with him because it's Tuesday, and Tom has a deal on Tuesdays called Tuesday Night Specials…but you already know that." He knew he was rambling, but he couldn't stop himself. "And, uh, so we were talking, right? And I was telling him about how I've made five bike frames in the past two days!"

He paused as if he was waiting for her to comment on this, but she had no idea whether that was a large accomplishment or huge failure, so she just said, "Wow." Elizabeth tried to make her voice sound both impressed and sympathetic, in order to fit the appropriate response Will was looking for.

"It's amazing isn't it? Everyone in the shop's been wondering what's gotten into me to get me to put out that many frames! Ha ha." Clearly, he was proud of his quick work.

"That sounds great."

The was an awkward silence, and Elizabeth began to wonder if Will had come all the way from the pub just to tell her about his past two days at work. He began to fidget nervously as he played with the hem of his shirt. She hugged her arms tighter around her ribcage, wishing he would keep talking. When she realized he was going to continue fingering his shirt, she asked, "Is that why you came? To tell me about work?"

His eyes snapped to hers. "Oh! Uh, no, actually." More silence.

Will's behavior unsettled her because she had never seen him so flustered. She quirked her eyebrows at him, and for the first time that evening asked, "Will…are you alright?"

His eyes bored into hers as he said, "I'm…I've…Jack's talked me into something."

"What?"

Will took a deep breath before continuing. This was the moment of truth. "First of all, I want to apologize for not speaking to you in the past few days – "

"It's not a prob– "

He held up a hand to silence her, "Elizabeth, please. Let me finish. I should have come to see you Saturday evening, but I was a fool. I _am_ a fool. I wasn't considering what you were probably feeling, and for that I'm sorry. I hope you can forgive me. It's just…these last five days have been so strange for me. And that's what I was trying to tell Jack tonight. I feel as if I should be more upset at what happened with Dina, but…I don't. And I couldn't figure out why that was. At first, I thought it might be a natural reaction to numb myself to pain, but if I had numbed myself, I wouldn't be able to feel anything else, would I? And all this time I've been fretting over something I never saw coming, even though it's sorta always been there. Especially now. But this whole time I thought it was Dina. Does that make sense?"

"No, not really."

Will sighed. "Look, I know I'm confusing and my words are just tumbling out of my mouth, but it's because I had an epiphany this evening. I don't know where it came from or how I never saw it before, but…" He trailed off, searching for the right words to say. "Elizabeth…I think the reason I feel so turned upside down is because of you."

Her breath caught in her throat, and she felt frozen in place. "What did you say?"

By now, Will looked calm and collected. His face showed no signs of ridicule or jest. "Elizabeth, I know this isn't rational, and I know some might say it's too soon, but I've not been able to keep my mind away from thoughts about you. Everything about you has flooded me. It's with me where ever I go: work, the flat, outside, the pub…You're everywhere around me."

"Will – "

"Elizabeth. I just need to know…do you think we can try again?"

The expression on her face was a mixture of surprise and sadness. "Will…" She started to shake her head. "I really don't think this is a good idea."

"What? Why not?"

"You just got out of a relationship."

"But Elizabeth – "

"I…I can't, Will. Not right now."

"Why?"

She looked away, still keeping her arms tight against her. "I don't think I'd be able to. There's a reason…Will, I just need to get things sorted out. That's the main reason I came to London."

"What sort of things?"

"Please…I don't want to talk about it right now."

Will could feel his heart slowly sinking. "This doesn't have anything to do with what Dina said, does it?"

Her eyes closed, confirming his concerns. "Will, I think I should go to bed."

"You can't take anything she says seriously, Elizabeth!"

"Will, don't. Please."

"What is going on? You're going to let something she said – something that's not even true – keep you from me? Tell me something, Elizabeth. What do you feel?"

"That's not important right now."

"Not important? What the hell?"

"You don't want me, Will. Let me just tell you that. I'll save you the trouble."

"Why are you saying this?"

"It's something I'd rather not talk about right now."

"Elizabeth – "

"Will. It's not going to work."

"How can you deny what you feel? How can I deny what I feel? What about Saturday?"

"Saturday was a mistake."

As soon as Elizabeth had said it, she regretted every word. Will's mouth dropped and an undeniable expression of hurt covered his face.

"A mistake? You think…what we did, was a mistake?"

"I didn't mean…Gods, Will. I'm saying that I shouldn't have let myself…It was just not a good idea. I'm sorry."

"No, Elizabeth. I'm sorry you feel that way…because I don't."

She heard the hurt and sorrow in his voice, and it made her feel extremely guilty. Will reached into his pocket and pulled something small out of it and handed the object to her. It was a little furry ball with a bell inside that jingled when he dropped it into her palm.

"I got that for Ellie. Sort of as a peace offering."

As if on cue, Ellie's little grey head poked around the corner at the sound of her name. Her icy blue eyes studied Will and the exchange he was having with her master. Elizabeth felt the familiar sting behind her eyes as she fought back tears. "Will…"

He gave her a small smile and said, "The offer is always open when you're ready." Without saying another word, he turned away and left.

Elizabeth stood at the door, staring after him, long after he disappeared from her sight. When the tears could no longer be contained, she closed the door and dropped the small toy beside Ellie. She walked straight into her bedroom, where she fell onto her bed and cried herself to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: This is probably the last little update for a while. I'm moooooving!_

"What's got you in such a strop?"

Elizabeth turned to look at her coworker. "I'm not in a strop."

Sarah tsked. "Yes, you are. You've been moping about for the past three days."

"No, I haven't."

"Yes, you have!"

"Sarah!"

"Elizabeth!"

The two friends stared at one another for a moment before Elizabeth tried to continue unpacking the new book shipment.

"Seriously. What's going on with you?"

"Nothing."

"Bollocks! You're a terrible liar, Elizabeth Swann. You were fine _last_ week, and suddenly you've come into the shop hardly saying a word _this_ week! Something happened during the weekend. Now, spill it!"

With a great sigh, Elizabeth said, "Sarah…I really don't feel like it right now."

Sarah walked around the cashier's counter and knelt beside her friend. "Seth and I are worried about you. You're normally so upbeat, and now you're – you're…not you. Come on, Liz. You'll probably feel a lot better if you tell me."

Elizabeth finally conceded. "I got a call from Will on Friday. He broke up with Dina."

"Why?"

"He caught her cheating on him. He was planning to take her to Germany."

"That's terrible!"

Elizabeth nodded. "I went over to his flat and talked to him. I had been there for about an hour or so when Dina came over to try and explain things or whatever, and she saw me there and said some things that, for whatever reason, really upset me. I suppose that's what's been bothering me since the beginning of this week…or, at least, up until today."

"What did she say?"

"It doesn't matter. It was just something stupid that's not true."

"But it obviously bothered you enough to change your demeanor."

Elizabeth paused. "She said something about me giving Will an STD."

"What a bitch! You don't have anything like that! And it's not as if you and Will would even shag!"

Elizabeth decided at that point not to divulge any information about her intimate meeting with Will. "Yeah."

"What happened after that?"

"Will threw her out of his flat. I ended up staying with him, but I slept on the couch."

"How is he doing?"

"Well…I didn't talk to him until last night, but he seems to be doing just fine."

Something about Elizabeth's hesitation made Sarah think there was more to the story than she was letting on. "Why did you not speak to him until last night?"

"I just wanted to give him some space," she lied. "I figured he would talk to me when he felt better."

"And you're still moping around because…?"

In a small voice, Elizabeth said, "Will came to see me last night."

Confusion etched itself onto Sarah's face.

"He…he told me he was doing okay. He also told me he fancied me again."

Sarah gasped. "Shut up! How does that make you upset?" She had a huge grin on her face. However, Elizabeth did not.

"It's not what he needs right now."

"Since when are you the judge of what someone else needs?"

"Since I'm a part of it!"

Sarah smirked. "So what you're really saying is that it's not what you need right now."

"Ugh! Sarah! Why do you have to make it sound so dramatic?"

"But, that's what you're saying, is it not?"

Elizabeth pouted, "Yes."

"What's keeping you from doing this, then? Will's such a sweetie!"

"I just don't want to disappoint him."

"What are you talking about?"

"There are things that I've…" she sighed. "Things that I think would better be left undiscovered by Will. It's better that I not get involved, and the reason is _because_ Will is such a good guy."

"You're still not making any sense, Liz."

"It doesn't matter if I am or not. It's not going to happen anyway. He doesn't know who I really am, and neither do you."

Sarah feigned indignation. "Ouch! You might have a point there. I might not know you as well as some because we've only known each other for a few months, but there's someone here that does!" She looked towards the back of the shop. "Oi! Seth!"

"Sarah, no!" Elizabeth hissed. "Stop it!"

But it was too late. Seth's voice rang out, "What?"

"Come 'ere! I've got to ask you something!"

Elizabeth dropped her head into her hands while their manager made his way to the front. "What is it? Something wrong with the shipment?"

Sarah replied, "Oh, no. It's Liz, here. Want to fill him in Elizabeth, or shall I?" When her coworker remained silent, she continued. "Well, to make a long story short…Dina cheats on Will – Will dumps Dina – Elizabeth comforts Will – Will now fancies Liz – and wouldn't you know it…our little Lizzie rejects him on the basis of 'He doesn't know who I really am.' What do you make of all this?"

Seth looked down at the two women, somewhat confused by everything Sarah had just said. "Let me get this straight: Will is now single and wants to start something with Elizabeth, who refuses?"

"That's pretty much it. Good job, Seth."

"It's not that simple." Elizabeth had raised her head to look up at her boss.

"Do tell."

She gave him a small glare. "Because you know as well as I do that I don't need to get involved in this right now."

"Can I speak with you for a moment?" Seth offered his hand to help Elizabeth get up.

Sarah continued her hurt charade. "Oh, I see how it is! Leave the new girl out of the conversation! I'll just go back to working, then!"

Seth led Elizabeth towards the other side of the bookshop before speaking. "The entire reason you wanted to take this job was to start over, was it not?"

"Yes, but – "

"Then what's the problem? It seems to me that opportunity is knocking at your door, but you're choosing to ignore it."

"That's not it!"

"Elizabeth, you told me before we left Sunderland you wanted to create a new life for yourself here in London. I've only met this bloke once or twice, but he seems like a nice fellow. A lot better than some of those creeps back home, at least."

"He is, but – "

"I can't make your decisions for you, and I don't want to force you to do something you're not ready for, but I _am_ advising you not to pass up something that you've been waiting for just because you're scared. That's all I'll say on the matter." Without waiting for her reply, Seth turned and walked to the back of the store.

Frustrated by her coworkers' inability to understand her predicament, Elizabeth made her way back to the shipment of books she had been working on and moved everything to the middle of the shop, where Sarah and Seth couldn't pester her anymore. She was so engrossed in her work that she had become oblivious to perusing customers and normal shop procedures as she knelt on the ground and sorted books. An hour and a half later, she was interrupted when a deep voice in close proximity from behind startled her.

"Excuse me, Miss. Could you help me with something?"

Catching her breath, Elizabeth asked, "What is it you need help with?"

"I'm looking for the girl who stole my heart. I was hoping you had seen her."

Elizabeth's head whipped around as she realized who was standing behind her. She looked up into the face of William Turner. His appearance was completely different than it was the previous night. The unruly hair was combed to the side, and a neatly trimmed goatee was the only evidence of the scraggly beard that he sported the night before. He was wearing a pale yellow necktie and a midnight blue button down shirt that was tucked into his khaki slacks. A half-smile worked its way onto his face, while his hands remained behind his back as he bounced on the balls of his feet. Suddenly, Chairman Meow appeared out of nowhere, apparently summoned by the sound of Will's voice, no doubt hoping for some more deli meat. The cat began to rub affectionately around his bobbing legs.

"Will! What are you doing here?" Realizing she sounded rude, Elizabeth added, "You – you look…amazing."

"Thanks." He continued to give his sly grin and tilted his head slightly.

"Did…you need something?"

"Nope." The bouncing motion made him look like a four year old that was struggling to keep a secret.

"Is there anything I can do for you?"

Instantly, his movements stilled and his grin grew wider. "Actually, there is."

"Yes?"

He stepped closer to her and said, "Give _us_ another chance."

"Will – " Elizabeth was silenced when a dozen white roses wrapped in dark red paper emerged from behind his back.

"I was just going for a stroll downtown, and I just happened to pass by this floral shop, and they had these in the window display, and I says to myself, I says, 'Will, these are just to _die_ for. Surely we can find a beautiful girl to give them to.' So I hand the floral bloke my money and start my walk around downtown again. I came upon this quaint, little shop and figured there was probably a pretty girl inside, and to my great fortune, I've found her."

Elizabeth was left speechless as she carefully held the flowers and breathed in their scent. Will continued his little monologue. "All of the walking made me hungry. I almost stopped and got something, but I didn't want to delay my rendezvous with the most beautiful girl in the world, so I tried to get here in time for her lunch break…" He gave a hopeful smile and raised his eyebrows.

"I…" He was too adorable to turn down. "Let me ask Seth."

Will watched her walk away, still clutching the bouquet he had given her. When she approached her manager, Seth looked up and saw Will. He gave Elizabeth a mischievous smile before nodding, giving her permission to take an early lunch. As she turned and made her way back towards him, Will grinned and held out his arm for her to take as they walked towards the staff lounge, leaving a pouting Chairman Meow behind.

After Elizabeth had closed the door behind them, she set the flowers on the little table. She smiled nervously at Will and waited for him to speak first. He was still giving her his amused smile when he asked, "How's your day been?"

"Fine, so far. I've been doing inventory work all morning."

"Ah. I could see that." He rubbed his hands together and took a deep breath. "I, uh…I wasn't planning to pester you, but I had to come by…just once more."

Elizabeth could feel her heart sinking because she knew exactly why he had come to see her. "Will, I told you last night – "

"That you didn't think it was a good idea. Yeah, I know. But just hear me out, okay?"

She thought all of her tears had dried up the night before, but the familiar sting in her eyes was back, and she struggled to maintain her composure. "This is not a good time for me to talk about this. Not right now."

"Then, when?"

"I don't know, Will. Maybe in a few months."

"A few months?"

"I just need to get settled here first."

"You've been here for about five and a half months! How much more settled to you need to be?"

"Will – "

"It sounds like you're making excuses."

A sudden thought occurred to Elizabeth as he stood before her. What if Will _knew_? As she narrowed her eyes and glared at him, a single tear rolled down her cheek. "You have no right to judge me!"

"I'm not!"

"You've been listening to Dina? Believing what she's told you? Hmm?" She knew she was being irrational, but she didn't care. The thought of becoming less in Will's eyes cut her deep, and it hurt. Badly. The only way she knew how to defend herself was by lashing out.

"Wha – ? No! Dina? She has no idea what she's talking about!"

"So she has talked to you about me! You think I'm a no good wench too?"

Will was completely flabbergasted at her behavior. "You know I would never think that about you! Dina just gossiped with some stupid bint at her office that knew you. It's just office gossip, Elizabeth! It doesn't mean anything."

"Who? Who's she been talking to?"

"Uh…I think her name's…Lauren something…"

With the revelation of a name – of someone she really did know – Elizabeth could no longer keep her tears at bay. They gushed out of her, and she unashamedly sobbed in front of a bewildered Will, who quickly closed the gap between them and grabbed her in a tight hug. As her body shook, he moved one of his hands to gently rub her back, while the other softly stroked her hair. He placed a small kiss on the top of her head before resting his cheek against it. Will could feel her tears creating a damp spot on his shirt, but he didn't care. They stood in this embrace while she continued to cry, neither saying a word. After a few minutes, her sobs began to slow, and he leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"There is nothing you could do that would change my opinion of you. Anything that happened in the past doesn't make a difference to me. If you don't want to talk about it, we don't have to. You told me yourself that you came to London to get things sorted out. If that's what you need to do, then that is perfectly okay with me. But I'm offering to help you. I'm offering the chance to start over…for _us_ to start over. I'm mad about you, Elizabeth, and there is nothing in this world I'd love more than to have you by my side again. And we can begin slowly at first, if you'd like. Maybe start with a little handholding before progressing to a second first date…where I would once again be wondering if there would be any way of getting another first kiss at the end." He smiled when he heard a watery giggle.

She pulled away and looked into his warm eyes. "I don't deserve this."

He shushed her and pulled her closer to him. "That's nonsense. If you're serious about starting over…it's time to let go of your inhibitions. I'll be here to hold you up. It's what I do."

They looked at each other for a moment while Elizabeth considered everything that had been said. She took a deep breath and, deciding to throw caution into the wind, said, "Let's start over."

Will's eyes grew wide, but not nearly as wide as his smile. "You mean it?"

She couldn't help but grin too. "Yes," she nodded.

Will had every intention of keeping his word about moving slowly in their relationship, but when Elizabeth lifted her lips to meet his, he didn't refuse her. Unlike the kiss they shared Saturday morning, this one was less rushed. It felt as if time had stopped, just for them, so they could stay in that moment forever. Elizabeth enjoyed the new sensation of his facial hair brushing against her skin and raised her hands to cup his face, bringing him closer to her. Will's hands tightened their grip on her waist when he felt her tongue slide into his mouth. They stood close to one another, locked in a tight embrace, reveling in the closeness of their bodies as they enjoyed being together, once again.

The sound of a door opening caused the couple to abandon their kiss.

"Oh…Sorry. Didn't realize you were still in here…" Seth's voice trailed away as he closed the door behind him.

After a few seconds had passed, Elizabeth began to laugh.

"What's so funny?"

She grinned and said, "We have the worst luck when it comes to finding privacy."

A lop-sided grin appeared on Will's face and he laughed with her. The situation wasn't that humorous, but the high level of happiness both were experiencing began to uplift their souls, and they couldn't help but giggle.

"I should probably get going." Will tucked a loose strand of hair behind Elizabeth's ear while he continued to smile at her.

"I'll walk you out."

The two left the lounge, hand in hand, and leaning close against one another. They could see Seth leaning against the cashier's counter while he talked to Sarah, who spotted them leaving the lounge and gave them a thumbs up sign, which was a clear giveaway that the manager had told her everything he had witnessed moments ago. As they approached her coworkers, Seth grinned slyly at them and said, "You know, Elizabeth…We're not really all that busy today, and I don't really feel like paying you to stand around the store."

"Are you sure?"

"You're burning up time! Get out!" Even though he said it forcefully, Seth couldn't hide his smile.

"Thanks, Seth!"

Elizabeth ran back to the lounge to grab her purse and the flowers Will had brought her. When she returned, they said their goodbyes and walked out of the shop, arm-in-arm, ready to take on the world.


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N: Hokay, so I've been MIA for about two weeks. I __did__ finally move, but it's been busy, what with packing and moving all my crap in less than 24 hours, catching up on everything at work, and a seven hour emergency room visit. Please excuse the delay, and thank lionessrampant and oh-you-pretty-things for getting me to write again. To compensate for the long absence, this has turned out to be the longest chapter yet. 4,000+ words. Also give lionessrampant a huge hug for fixing my story and making it flow better. This is for you._

Three weeks had passed since Will had stumbled upon Dina lying nude under her office lover…and he had never felt better. He was on his way towards The Pub, arm-in-arm with his new-old girlfriend. She was happily giggling as she talked about how glad she was to be going back to Pirate Party Fridays. Will shared her excitement, although he would be lying if he said he hadn't enjoyed the past two Friday nights that he had spent (alone) with Elizabeth. That first week they had been together, he took her on their second-first date – their first in over nine years. He had done his best to give her the most entertaining time she could imagine by taking her all over London, showing her his favorite haunts, many of which Elizabeth knew nothing about. As an added bonus, Will was very pleased to receive his second-first date kiss...at every single shop/bar/park they visited. The next Friday (as well as every day before that) was spent snuggling on the couch while they browsed Elizabeth's vast movie collection, until distraction arrived in the form of a heavy snogging session. When Will had arrived home extremely late that evening, Jack was already back from The Pub. Will had to hide his amused expression when his roommate all but begged him to come back to The Pub on Friday nights.

And here they were, at the entrance to their favorite bar, making their way inside where the already loud music, easily heard from the outside, nearly knocked them over as they opened the door. The couple was surprised to see how much the crowd had grown since their last visit. The music was thumping loudly through the speakers, and Tom was swamped with orders at his counter. Incredibly, Jack spotted them through all the chaos inside and quickly made his way towards them as they, in turn, walked towards the bar.

"'Bout time you got here! Look at what you've been missing!"

Will laughed and gave his friend a slap on the back. "We're going to get something to drink. Why don't you get back to playing the music?"

Jack just narrowed his eyes before he broke out in a huge grin, evidently elated that his friends were back where they belonged. As the pirate DJ made his way back to his pirate ship booth, Will and Elizabeth worked their way towards the area of Tom's counter where they were able to receive their usual free rounds. Miraculously they were able to find two empty barstools and sat down while they people watched and sipped their beers. After the novelty of drunken dancers wore off, they turned their attention back to each other and eventually began an unashamed public display of affection. Their kiss was interrupted by Jack, who had come over to see them.

"Don't you two ever stop? It's sickening, that is! Why don't you stop humping each other and join the party?"

Grinning widely, Will asked, "What's the matter Jack? I thought you enjoyed what you saw a few weeks ago. We were going to treat you to another show."

Jack gave him a rude hand gesture, and Elizabeth was thankful he couldn't see her blush. She still felt slightly embarrassed every time she was around Jack, even after these three weeks. Will's eyes twinkled as he watched his friend retreat, and they continued to do so as he looked at his girlfriend. She lost herself in those dark brown eyes, and at that moment, for the first time in a long while, she felt comfortable enough to lower her guard ever so slightly. Elizabeth reached for his hands and took them in her own, moving her delicate fingers over his palms.

"Will," she started, lowering her eyes to her lap, where she continued to massage his warm hands, "I feel so fortunate that I've found you again. I'm lucky to have you with me."

"No, I'm the lucky bastard that's managed to persuade the most beautiful girl in the world to have another go with me." His smile was just as charming as his words, and Elizabeth could feel herself melting underneath his gaze.

Their romantic moment ended when Tom shouted, "Will! You mind taking these to Jack?" He was holding up four bottles of his finest and looking frantic.

"Be right there!" He gave Elizabeth an apologetic shrug and a quick kiss before rushing to Tom's aid.

She sighed, but couldn't help but grin inwardly as she watched him walk away. He was absolutely amazing, and she was still in disbelief that her life had taken such a positive turn for once. Will had kept his word and allowed them to build their relationship one step at a time. It's what she adored about him – the fact that he gave her enough space to get comfortable with him, even though he didn't completely understand why she needed to move as slowly as they were going. Elizabeth was so engrossed with this new feeling that she didn't notice the woman standing next to her until she spoke.

"I see that this place has lowered its standards for patronage."

There was no mistaking that voice. Elizabeth cringed as she stood to face Dina. "What the hell are you doing here?"

She gave a self-righteous smirk as she replied, "I've been coming to The Pub a lot longer than you have, although I suppose I'll have to find somewhere new now that you're coming here regularly…"

Elizabeth decided it was better to leave than fall for Dina's obvious baiting attempt. Before she could turn away, however, Will's ex said something that tore through her.

"You've come here to start over, but old habits die hard."

Elizabeth glared at her, "And what would you know about it? You don't know me."

"I know that you've been with quite a few men, and you've been hoping that somehow you'll be able to shake off your tendency for finding the kind of bloke that runs all over you. And now, you think you've found your saving grace in _him_, but tell me something Elizabeth: How long did it take before you screwed him after I left that night? A few days? I'll bet you didn't even make it a few hours because you needed it that badly. You're the kind of woman that finds her worth in other men."

"Shut the hell up."

Dina grinned as she continued. "I'll also wager that these men never made love to you. They just fucked you, didn't they? Is that what Will did? Did he fuck you?"

Elizabeth felt her hand rise to slap the woman, but a strong grip around her wrist thwarted her attempt. She turned to yell at the person that halted her assault and was surprised to find Jack at her side.

"Dina," he growled, "you need to get out of my sight before I turn her loose."

"You can't do anything to me, Jack. This isn't your establishment, and I'll do as I please."

He leaned in close to her face, still gripping Elizabeth's arm as he pulled her behind him. "This entire night is mine, and _I'll_ not have you instigating and insulting my mate. No slags are allowed in this _establishment_ – so you've got no business here."

"Neither does the whore you're holding onto."

It only took a split second for Jack to release his hold on Elizabeth and yank Dina out of the pub. By the time he returned, Will had finally found his girlfriend and was holding her in a tight embrace as she cried into his shoulder. With a confused expression, his roommate asked, "What happened?"

Knowing that it would only anger him, Jack reluctantly told Will, "Dina was here." Before he could finish, Will's confusion turned into anger as he hugged Elizabeth closer to him and whispered, "I'm sorry, Elizabeth. I was in the loo. I'm sorry."

Jack felt very badly for his friend and was just as angry that Dina had made her so upset. He quietly suggested to Will that he take Elizabeth to her flat and promised to check the entrance for any sign of the horrible wench that had ruined their evening. As Jack walked to the door, Will once again leaned down to whisper in his girlfriend's ear, "Do you want me to take you home?"

She silently nodded as her tears continued to flow. He wrapped his coat around her shoulders and covered her head with its hood. With his arm around her small frame, they quickly made their escape, weaving in and out of the dancers that were unaware of the crisis that had just happened. Will peeked his head outside to look for Jack, who gave him the all clear and motioned for them to join him.

"She wants to leave, so…"

Jack waved him away and said, "I'll see you later, mate. Just get her home."

The couple made the trek in silence, which was broken only by Elizabeth's occasional sobs and Will's soft reassurances. After ten minutes of walking, they finally arrived at her building, and he helped her up the stairs leading to the entrance. Once they reached her door, he asked for her keys, which she fumbled to find, and opened the door, ushering her inside first. She walked inside and waited for him to close and lock the door before heading into her living room and collapsing on the couch. Will took his place beside her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, allowing Elizabeth to rest her head against his chest.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there to get her away from you."

Her voice was soft as she replied, "It wasn't your fault, Will."

"Still…I'm sorry she's gone after you. I'm sorry you've been involved like this…but I'm not sorry that I'm with you."

She lifted her eyes to his and felt the confidence she experienced earlier that evening returning. "I'm not sorry either." She smiled, and Will was relieved to see it. He grinned back at her, which caused her to laugh softly and nuzzle her face into his shirt.

"Will?"

"Hm?"

"I like your facial hair."

"Thanks."

"I also like that your hair is getting shaggy again. Now I've got something to play with." She laughed some more and moved her hand to the top of his head and began to run her fingers through his hair. The feel of her tiny fingers moving over his scalp was very soothing, and when her lips met his, he eagerly returned the kiss, desperately wanting to help her forget what had happened that evening.

Elizabeth tried to shrug his coat off her shoulders and was assisted by Will when she failed to get it off after a few seconds' struggle. Her hands moved back to his longer locks, while his hands roamed over her backside, pulling her closer to him. She stopped him and quickly stood, grasping his hand in hers and doing her best to pull him up with her. The look she was giving him indicated she wanted to move to the bedroom, that she was finally ready to give herself to him, for the second first time in their relationship. This made Will ecstatic at the thought, but at the same time, he didn't want to rush into things like they had three weeks ago. They had refrained from sexual intimacy since that first encounter at his flat, and he was doing his best to make sure he didn't pressure Elizabeth into something she wasn't ready for.

"Are you sure? We're not going too fast?"

She just smiled and continued to pull him from her couch. Not needing any more persuasion, Will stood and followed her to the bedroom. Their entrance had woken Ellie, who had curled herself into a ball on Elizabeth's bed.

"Sorry, Ellie. I'm going to have to kick you out." Elizabeth picked her up, and Will could have sworn he saw the cat roll her eyes as his girlfriend carried Ellie past him before placing her outside the room and shutting the door. It seemed that his little toy peace offering, as well as the huge supply of catnip he had brought by his first week with Elizabeth, had converted Ellie into a Will Turner fan, and being in the kitty's good graces made him very happy, as well as a bit relieved. But he didn't want to think about the cat at the moment. Will was more interested in thinking about Elizabeth and how he would be able to take care of her.

She walked back to him slowly, looking up at him shyly through her long lashes. Her hand moved to cup his manhood, while her other hand snaked under his shirt and slinked up his back. Her mouth found its way to his neck and began nipping the skin, which made Will sigh contentedly as he wrapped his arms around her tiny shoulders. Her small movements hypnotized him and a few moments passed before he snapped out of his trance and remembered his goal of caring for _her_.

"Elizabeth," he whispered, gripping her shoulders and steering her towards the bed. "I'm looking after you tonight."

Will captured her lips with his before she could reply and slid his hands underneath her top. In one swift motion, he pulled it over her head and discarded it somewhere behind him, all the while inching them closer to her bed. One of his hands tangled itself in her hair while the other flawlessly removed her bra. Elizabeth gasped when she felt the cool air against her bare skin. Her gasp turned to a cry of surprise as Will quickly scooped her up and plopped her in the middle of the bed. She did her best to pull his shirt away from his body, but he prevented her from doing so when he grabbed both of her wrists and playfully pinned them above her head.

"Now, now, Miss Swann. You need to sit back and enjoy the ride."

He continued to grin devilishly at her as he held down her arms and straddled her legs with his own. His free hand lightly touched her cheek, and then caressed her face before trailing down her neck, making its way to her breast. Will took pleasure in the little mewing sounds coming from his girlfriend as he gently massaged her. When she closed her eyes, he leaned in to nibble the skin around her jaw and neck, knowing as he did so that there would be little reminders of this evening all along her skin the next morning. Elizabeth was aware of this fact as well, but the idea of Will marking her as his own was extremely arousing, and the possessiveness he was currently demonstrating made her ache for more.

Will abandoned his attention on her breast, and instead, worked his way down her stomach, leaving trails of fire along her abdomen. He ran his tongue along her collarbone as his fingers began to work her skirt down her hips. A low groan reverberated in his throat when he realized she was not wearing any knickers.

"Elizabeth, you're killing me," he murmured as he tossed her skirt to the side.

She was about to give him a snarky comment, but Will's fingers suddenly came to a rest between her thighs. He began to rub small circles around her most sensitive area, doing his best, in her opinion, to torture her and kill her slowly. Elizabeth tried to move against him, but his weight against her legs, as well as his firm grip against her wrists, prohibited any movement.

"Will…"

Upon hearing the pleading tone in her voice, he relented, releasing her arms and grabbing her hips as her hands flew to his head, wrapping themselves in the hair she enjoyed so much. While she busied herself with his hair, Will moved his body down hers, kissing the smooth skin of her stomach the entire time. Soon, his mouth replaced his fingers, and Elizabeth's grip flew from his scalp to her sheets.

"Oh!"

Will flicked his tongue and varied his technique by running his teeth and lips over the little nub. Elizabeth began to lift her hips instinctually, but he held her against the bed, rendering her immobile. She gave a frustrated sigh, and he decided to appease her and brought one hand down to assist his mouth by sliding his fingers into her. The sound of heavy breathing reached his ears, and he looked up to see her worrying her bottom lip between her teeth as she watched. The fact that she was observing him made Will's insides twist in tight knots. When their eyes met, she cried out, and he felt her tighten around his fingers. He could feel her body shake as she rode the waves of pleasure that washed over her. When she finally stilled, he moved to lie beside her, wrapping his arms around her body and assaulting her neck with kisses once again.

"Damn, Will! Give me some time to recover!"

He grinned. Waiting for her to come down from her high, Will hugged Elizabeth closer to him. His clothes brushed against her naked body, and for the first time since he had pinned her hands above her head, she realized that he was still fully dressed. When her mind finally became clear, Elizabeth turned and began to remove his shirt, belt, and jeans – continuously kissing his jawline and neck in order to mark him as her property, just as he had done to her. Will, unlike Elizabeth, _was_ wearing underwear. She removed this last article of clothing lethargically, allowing her fingers to drift and linger around his groin. Impatience got the best of him, and he promptly finished removing them for her. While his boxers were still flying through the air, Will rolled Elizabeth on her back and hovered his body over hers.

Looking deep into her eyes, he looked for any sign of hesitation. He did not want to push her into something they weren't ready for, and he definitely did not want her to call tonight a mistake. Will stared at her longer than he intended and felt a little embarrassed when she asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he replied. He could tell that she was worried that he was having second thoughts. "I just wanted to make sure that you're ready. Are you re– ?"

She didn't let him finish. "I'm ready."

To prove it, Elizabeth grabbed Will's face and brought it down to her own, giving him a long kiss. He gently lowered his body on top of hers while their tongues continued to wrestle. Her legs spread to accommodate him, and as tenderly as he could, he entered her.

Will moved at an agonizingly slow pace, allowing them both to enjoy the connection they had. Their kiss was still ongoing, and Elizabeth raised her knees to his sides before wrapping her legs around his waist, allowing him to penetrate deep inside her. Her hands moved to his lower back, and she squeezed him hard, urging him to move faster. Will denied her request, determined to take his time and prolong their experience. His hips gently rocked against hers, doing his best to force her to meet his rhythm. While they moved, one of Will's hands traveled the length of her body, carefully exploring every curve and dip it could find. He lingered over her breast for a while, before moving to her stomach and then to the area just above their intimate union.

Elizabeth could no longer concentrate on the kiss they shared when Will's fingers imitated the motion of his hips. Fascinated, he stared at her face. She looked so beautiful at that moment. Her eyes were closed, her brow was furrowed, and her mouth hung open slightly as her breathing came out in pants. How she was able to look so attractive doing anything is what amazed him, and it was one of the things he loved about her.

_Loved?_

The thought made something catch inside Will's throat. Loved. The shock of this word was enough to cause his entire body to stop moving. Loved. Did this mean he was _in_ love? Had he ever been _in love_? He had told girls he loved them – he had even told a fifteen year old Elizabeth Swann he loved her, but was this the same thing? Friends and family and celebrities in the cinema described love as not being able to stop thinking about a girl. A man would rather be around her than his best mate. But what did that mean, really? Will searched his soul and compared this moment with every memory of every girlfriend he had ever had. That past love – he thought he knew what he was saying. It wasn't like he tossed the word around. Will had never told Dina he loved her. Elizabeth was his first love, or so he thought, and he _thought_ he had had a second and third and fourth and…but had he ever had a _true_ love? His stomach was flipping, and his head was spinning as these thoughts rushed over him. Love.

"What's wrong?" Elizabeth's eyes opened when Will had stopped. "Is everything okay?"

In that instant, as he looked into her dark eyes, Will Turner realized he had never understood – or even known – true romantic love. As Elizabeth searched his face for some indication of why he had stopped, he realized it was these little things that defined love. It was all these tiny snippets of life that couldn't be described in the words of musicians or poets. Love could only be described through what he felt when he looked at her.

"Will?"

The realization had fallen on him so fast and hard that he had trouble breathing. They had only been together for three weeks. He didn't know how it could even be possible to know that you're in love with a girl so soon. Will had always chastised and ridiculed other couples that were so quick to use those three words, and now he found himself completely and utterly head over heels for the woman underneath him. Logically (his mind was telling him), it was way too soon to be considering such nonsense. He had been with Dina for nine months, and the thought of saying "I love you" to her had never crossed his mind. But this…

"Will?"

He could feel his heart beating rapidly inside his chest as he struggled to speak. "Elizabeth…I know this sounds ludicrous, and you'll probably not believe me, but don't think I'm completely nutters. Please." He paused, closing his eyes while he drew a deep breath. When he exhaled, his eyes opened and stared straight into hers. "I love you."

Whatever she had been expecting him to say, this was clearly not it. Concern turned to confusion as she involuntarily quirked her eyebrows at him.

"Elizabeth, I'm not asking or expecting you to share the same feeling right now, but I just realized that I never knew…never _really_ _knew_ what love was supposed to be. You don't have to say it until you're ready, but…Elizabeth, I love you."

Her breath caught in her throat at his words, and he leaned down to kiss her once more. When their lips met, Will started moving again, this time with more energy. It wasn't long before both of them were holding onto each other tightly, desperately trying to catch their breath.

After a few minutes of silence, Will thought he heard Elizabeth sniffle, and he lifted his head to look into her face. He was horrified to find her in tears for the second time that evening and became terrified that he had somehow hurt her physically or emotionally.

"Did I hurt you? Elizabeth…"

She shook her head and wiped her tears away. "No one has ever treated me the way you have."

"They've never told you they loved you?"

"No. But it's not just that. You…I've never had anything like this before," she motioned around the bed.

Will's expression softened, and he kissed her forehead. "You can't have had very many decent boyfriends."

"You're right…I've never experienced…sex like this before. It was amazing."

He understood what she was trying to say, but Will gave her a big smirk and said in a pompous voice, "Will Turner never disappoints the ladies."

His effort to make her laugh succeeded, and he held her close to him, keeping her warm for the rest of the night as they slept peacefully.

_A/N: I hope this was worth the wait. Sorry again!_


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N: This is sort of ironic. I'm following up the longest chapter yet, with the shortest chapter so far. Sorry about that._

Elizabeth was roused from her deep slumber by hard bump against her shoulder. She scrunched her face, assuming it was Ellie. Her cat normally woke her up when she slept late by headbutting her in the face as a reminder that Elizabeth had yet to feed her.

"Stop it, Ellie."

Instead of feeling insistent paws on her cheek, the sound of soft snoring floated to her ears, causing her to turn her head and open her eyes. Will was beside her, still asleep. His hair was falling over his eyes, and his mouth hung open, which made Elizabeth laugh. She ran her fingers through his hair, effectively waking him.

"Morning, Will."

He blinked a few times, trying to focus, and then he smiled. "Morning, Beautiful."

He leaned in to kiss her, while pulling her closer to him. Elizabeth loved the feel of his skin next to hers, and wrapped her arms around his chest, holding him tightly against her body. They stayed this way for a few minutes, until Will pulled himself out of her hug.

"You look good."

"Well, I _am_ quite fit, if I do say so myself."

Will laughed. "Do you mind if I get a shower?"

"No. Go ahead."

He kissed her once again and jumped out of bed, completely starkers, then shuffled into her bathroom. As she watched his bum disappear from view, Elizabeth smiled to herself, feeling fully content – something she hadn't experienced in a long time. He had been absolutely wonderful. Will was so sweet, and she had never felt as worshipped as he had made her feel last night.

He made good on his promise to take care her. Elizabeth had always had a hard time reaching the point of climax, but somehow, Will had brought her there. There had been less than a handful of men that had ever caused her to experience an orgasm. Most were more concerned about finding their own release as quickly as possible, and the few that lasted longer than forty seconds trying to bring her around were doing so to boost their own ego, rather than look after her. Over the years, Elizabeth had become an expert at stroking men's egos. She had perfected the moans and calls when she felt their bodies seize above hers, whether they were actually able to bring her to orgasm or not (and it was mostly not).

Those men were overly aggressive with her, sometimes to the point of causing pain, but she had never done anything to stop them. She was unsure as to why she allowed it to happen, but deep down, she supposed it had something to do with her need to feel wanted. She knew most of her boyfriends were only interested in her body and what she could give them, but at the same time – they wanted her. So she gave it freely to satiate the hunger.

But Will had been so gentle and held her as if she would crumble with the slightest touch. It was such a stark contrast to what she had been used to. He looked at her and she saw the desire in his eyes, but it wasn't the same kind of desire she was used to seeing. Elizabeth could tell he adored her, but it was so much more than that. On top of making her feel wanted, for the first time in her life, a man had made her feel _needed_.

This, she reckoned, was one of the reasons Dina's words had cut her so deeply the night before. Will had managed to heal that wound by actually making love to her. The sex she had experienced wasn't with some randy bloke she had met at a bar or a dazed boyfriend in a drunken stupor. It was with a man that wanted her for more than her looks. She knew this because of what he had told her.

_I love you_.

A little over a year ago, she had resigned the fact that she would never hear those three little words from a bloke who truly meant them. That's why it shocked her when Will had paused right in the middle of their lovemaking (she sighed) to say the unexpected. And unlike so many gits in her past, he appeared nervous and whole-heartedly sincere when he spoke. There was no mistaking the serious tone of his voice as he said it.

_I love you_.

She had been reluctant to reply, partly because he had resumed movement after he said it, but mostly because every time she had in the past, it wasn't long before she found herself flat on her arse with a broken heart after her "loving" boyfriend had finished using her and moved on to some other pretty girl that caught his fancy. All of those sodding _I love you_'s were lies fed to her by men who were familiar with her reputation around Sunderland. And while she didn't doubt the sincerity of Will's confession, she was uneasy about returning his affections due to the nagging fear at the back of her mind that he would turn out to be just like every other man that had ever come into her life and left her absolutely and completely broken.

However, she still felt extremely happy from last night and was very glad to call Will her new beau. As a result, Elizabeth felt it was time to make the call home to tell her parents about this wonderful man in her life. She wanted to show him off, but she wondered how it was possible to introduce someone her folks already knew. That, in addition to the fact her family had not left on good terms with Will, created butterflies in her stomach. She was unsure as to how they would react to him, especially her father. Then again, it had been almost ten years.

Ultimately, Elizabeth decided not to reveal her new boyfriend's identity to her parents just yet. She rolled out of bed and pulled a silk robe around her small frame as she padded into her living room. Ellie was lounging in one of her squashy armchairs, and Elizabeth patted her on the head as she passed.

She flopped down in the other chair, picked her mobile off the table, and dialed her parents' number. She didn't have to wait very long before her father's voice greeted her.

"'Ello?"

"Hi, Daddy."

"Elizabeth! How are you doing?"

"I'm doing very well, surprisingly. How's everything at the firm?"

"Things have sort of dropped off for now. Most of our major clients have settled their disputes, so we've only got a few smaller matters actually going to court. We've sort of been viewing this as a miniature vacation. We've needed it, the way things have been going lately."

"That sounds wonderful. You deserve a break. How's mum?"

Weatherby sighed. "She's decided to redecorate the house…again."

"She just finished redoing the entire house when I left six months ago!"

"I know. She says she's tired of everything already. Fortunately, I was able to convince her to only do _one_ room this time."

Elizabeth laughed, and said, "What's she got planned?"

As she listened to him explain her mother's most recent project, Will walked into the room wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. She smiled at him, staring shamelessly at his chest.

Will mouthed, "Who is it?" and she mouthed back, "Daddy."

He nodded and turned away. Elizabeth thought he was heading back to her room to get dressed and was surprised when he spun around to face her. His arms were raised high above his head, and his hips were shaking to some unknown beat. The urge to burst into a fit of giggles threatened to overtake her, and Elizabeth did not want her father to know that she was laughing at her dancing boyfriend who was only covered by a towel because that would force her to explain _why_ he was at her apartment so early in the morning covered only in a towel.

She placed her hand over the receiver and hissed, "Will! Stop it! I'm on the phone with Daddy!"

He responded by whipping the towel off his body, leaving him completely naked in front of her. As soon as he did so, he shook his hips at her, causing a certain part of his anatomy to wiggle vigorously.

Elizabeth knew that laughing at him would only make him continue, so she dropped her head and closed her eyes, doing everything in her power to get rid of the image of his gyrating genitals. She was so focused on remaining serious that she had forgotten why she was even in the living room.

"Elizabeth? Are you listening to me?"

Her father had to practically shout to make himself heard, and Elizabeth was quickly brought back to their conversation.

"Oh! Yes. I'm sorry, Daddy. Didn't catch that last part."

"I was just saying your mother has been asking when you'd like to come and visit."

Elizabeth opened her eyes, only to find Will frolicking around the room, waving his towel in circles, doing his absolute best to make her laugh.

"Excuse me for a moment." She put her father on hold to hiss at her boyfriend once again. "Will! You have got to stop! Go away! Please."

He winked at her, and much to her relief, left the room, taking his towel with him.

"Sorry. The kettle is ready for tea," she lied.

"Oh, that's quite alright."

"So mum's been asking when I'd be back?"

"Yes, and I've been wondering the same thing, truth be told."

"Well, actually, that's one of the reasons I wanted to talk to you today. I wanted to ask if it would be alright to come spend a weekend with you."

"Elizabeth, you know you don't have to ask for permission to visit!"

"Well, I know, but there's something I wanted to tell you. I've met a bloke down here. In London."

There was a short pause on the other end. "A bloke, you say? You mean you're seeing someone?"

"Yes, and he's really sweet, and I wanted to bring him up to Sunderland."

"I see."

"Do you mind if I bring him when I come? We'll only be there for the weekend." She took a deep breath before continuing, "I really like him, Daddy."

Weatherby laughed softly. "I suppose that would be alright. Your mother should be done with her remodeling in about three weeks. Do you think you could wait until then?"

Elizabeth grinned, "Yes, that would be great! It's just enough time for us to request off work."

"Then, it's settled. I'll tell your mother you're coming. She's picking out new drapes right now, as a matter of fact. I'm sure she'll call you later on in the week."

"Thanks, Daddy. I'll see you soon!"

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

Pleased that the conversation with her father had gone well, Elizabeth hung up feeling extremely giddy. Now all she had to do was tell Will he was coming with her. She stood and began to walk towards her room but stopped when she saw her boyfriend leaning against a wall outside the bedroom. He was still completely naked, but this time the towel was hanging on a very erect part of his body.

"Hey, Elizabeth. I can double as a towel rack." His hands were behind his head, and he was apparently very fond of his new trick.

She rolled her eyes. "How long did it take you to figure _this_ out?"

"About fifteen seconds. But I thought of you, and it went a lot faster." He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, skillfully keeping the towel suspended in the air.

"Everything go okay?"

She glared at him playfully. "It would have been better if you weren't prancing about my living room."

"I didn't prance!" he exclaimed. "I sashayed!"

"It looked like prancing to me."

"You liked it."

"That's beside the point." She smiled at him and took his hands in her own. "Daddy's invited me to stay the weekend with him and mum."

"That sounds fantastic."

"You're coming too."

It took a moment for her words to register in his brain, and when they did, he blanched, and the towel fell to the floor when its hook suddenly shrank.

"What? You can't be serious!"

"Oh, come on! It's been nine years, Will! I doubt they'll even remember you! Please. Do this for me. I really want them to see how good you are to me."

He sighed, and it was clear that he was still feeling nervous at the thought of standing in her father's presence once again. "Fine. I'll go, but only if you promise to watch after me so Weatherby doesn't run a sword through me when I've got my back turned."

"Don't be ridiculous." Elizabeth wrapped her arms around his ribs and stood on her toes to kiss him deeply. Soon, she felt the human towel hook move against her thigh as the silky material of her robe brushed against it. Whispering into his ear, she breathed, "Why don't we relive some of the better moments of last night?"

Whole-heartedly agreeing with her proposal, Will lifted her in the air and quickly made his way back to her room. His damp towel lay forgotten on the floor behind them.


	13. Chapter 13

_A/N: Meet the parents, Will._

"Will, come on! We're already behind schedule!"

They were supposed to have left forty minutes ago, but Ellie had found a way to distract them both all morning. She had managed to find all of her toys and place them all in front of the couch, successfully enticing Will to play with her. While Elizabeth was thrilled that her cat was so taken with her boyfriend, she was also a little frustrated with being so behind on packing the car for their trip to Sunderland.

"But Ellie wants to play!" Will whined.

"She'll be fine, Will. We're only going to be gone for the weekend, and Jack said he'd come by to feed her. You know that."

"But how do we know that she'll be okay with him? What if he freaks her out?"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, "Will, you're way too concerned about this. I swear…you're such a girl."

"Hey, now…" He grabbed her and began to tickle her mercilessly.

"Will…Stop! We're…we're going to…be late!" she was laughing uncontrollably.

He finally relented after he realized a late appearance would probably not give him a good impression with her parents. And he desperately wanted to look good in front of them. Now that he had a new focus, Will gave Ellie a quick pat, grabbed Elizabeth's bags, and headed for the door with his girlfriend in tow. It wasn't long before they were starting their five hour journey to the Swann residence.

* * *

When they turned onto the street where Elizabeth's parents lived, Will began to fidget nervously. Elizabeth grabbed his hand to calm him and gave it a squeeze when they parked in front of the house.

"Thank you for coming with me."

He could only smile and nod his head. They got out of his car, and he collected their bags before walking up to the door. She could tell he was extremely anxious, so she kissed his cheek to reassure him. After she knocked on the door, she linked her arm around his and said, "Everything will be okay."

They were greeted by Eleanor Swann, Elizabeth's mother, who was very excited to see her daughter.

"Elizabeth! Darling, it's been so long. Come in! Come in!"

The couple was ushered inside the enormous foyer where one could see into almost every room on the first floor. Will set their things on the rug as the Swann women embraced. Elizabeth looked around and asked, "Where's Daddy?"

"I'm coming!" Weatherby called while turning the corner into the foyer area. He opened his arms to grab a running Elizabeth in a tight hug. "It's so good to see you. Did you have a good trip?"

"Yes. It went well."

Will stood close to the door, forgotten until Eleanor noticed him out of the corner of her eye. "Elizabeth! You haven't introduced this young man!"

Will smiled nervously as his girlfriend laughed and ran back to his side. "Mum. Daddy. This is Will."

Her parents smiled warmly and took turns shaking his hand. It was obvious that they did not recognize him, which was somewhat comforting to both Will and Elizabeth.

"What do you do for a living, Will?" Eleanor asked.

"Oh, I build bicycles at a shop in London. It's not very glamorous at times, but I love what I do."

There was a moment's pause as Elizabeth's father studied Will closely. "You seem somewhat familiar. Have you ever worked in Sunderland?"

The couple glanced at each other. "Uh…no, sir. I…I've only worked in London."

"So, you've never worked in a firm somewhere? I could have sworn I've seen you around before. Never been in court, have you?" Weatherby laughed when he said this, and Will tried to laugh along with him.

"No, sir."

"So," Eleanor started, "how did you two meet?"

It was Elizabeth who answered, "Well…we _found_ each other through Will's roommate, Jack."

"Found?" Her parents were giving them a quizzical look.

"Yes, well…Will and I – it turns out – have already met…before…" She smiled hopefully. Her hint did not get through to them, so she added, "Will used to live in Glastonbury."

A few seconds passed before the Swanns realized what Elizabeth was trying to say. She had to stifle a giggle as their faces morphed from confusion to shock to embarrassment. Her father quickly looked away once this fact dawned on him, since the last time he had seen the young man, Will was lying naked underneath Weatherby's equally naked teenage daughter. Everyone in the room, save Elizabeth, was red in the face. Trying to make the situation less awkward, Elizabeth said, "The house looks great, Mum."

Eleanor, for the most part, seemed to have recovered from the initial shock of seeing Will again and said, "Thank you, Elizabeth. Yes, I've just gotten finished with the den, actually. Which reminds me – Will, you've not seen the house before, have you? Would you like for me to show you around?"

Will looked down at his girlfriend and then at her mother. "Yes, please. That would be brilliant."

Eleanor motioned for Will to follow her, and she cheerfully led him around the downstairs portion of her home while Elizabeth and Weatherby watched them. Elizabeth smiled to herself, feeling happy that her mother seemed to accept Will. She looked to her father, hoping that he would let bygones be bygones. She was surprised to find him looking at her.

"Daddy –"

Weatherby interrupted, "So, he lives in London now, does he?"

"Yes." She was very quiet with her answer.

"And when did this Jack fellow reintroduce you?"

"About four months after I moved to London."

Weatherby looked away to watch his wife and Will wander into the kitchen. "Did you…begin dating once –"

"Oh, no. Daddy, Will had a girlfriend when we met up. We've only been together for about two months."

His gaze snapped back to his daughter. "Elizabeth, did you –"

"No! She…she broke up with him before we started dating."

Weatherby could tell he struck a nerve with his daughter, so he tried to soften his questions. "Does he treat you well?"

Elizabeth smiled and her eyes drifted towards her boyfriend, who was now helping her mother make tea. "Yes."

Weatherby turned his attention to the two in the kitchen as well. Will was laughing at something the older woman had said before he looked up at Elizabeth and grinned widely at her. Weatherby prodded for more information by asking, "Do you mean it? He treats you properly?"

Without taking her eyes off Will, who had now returned to making tea, she replied, "I think Will might just be the best thing that's happened to me in a long time." She paused as if deeply considering something. "I…I think I'm in love, Daddy."

Elizabeth looked at her father at that moment and continued, "And I'm not talking about the kind of love I thought I had with some of the blokes from around here. Will…He told me he loved me, and I know he's telling the truth. Daddy, don't look at me like that!"

"Two months, Elizabeth? You've been with this man for two months, and you're in love?" His eyes were sad, and she knew he was afraid of her traveling down the same path she had tread so many times before.

She grabbed his hand and squeezed it, just like she had done with Will a few minutes before. "Please don't let the past get in the way of how you feel about him. Just give him a chance. He's still the same sweet boy he was in Glastonbury, but…it's even better than that now. He's good to me, Daddy. Besides, you and mum were only together for five months before you were married! This isn't that ridiculous."

He laughed and said, "Don't pull that card on me, Elizabeth. You know your mother and I were made for each other."

"Well," she said, "maybe it works the same way for us too."

"You really like this boy, don't you?"

"I do."

Eleanor's voice drifted into the hall, and the two could tell she was still talking about her new décor. Weatherby grimaced and said, "Let's save the poor boy from your mother."

* * *

The evening had been very pleasant. The Swanns were very taken with their daughter's boyfriend. It was very clear to them that Will was her prince in shining armor – as the fairytales say. The four sat in the newly redecorated den talking late into the night. Before long, the older Swanns were too tired to stay up any longer. After saying goodnight to the young couple, they retired to their bedroom.

Elizabeth and Will remained on the couch, cuddled together. She giggled, and Will asked, "Why are you so happy?"

"My life is perfect."

"How so?"

"Well," she started and turned to face him, "I've got an affectionate cat, a job that I love, an awesome flat, and a boyfriend that my parents adore."

Will smiled. "And how do you know that?"

"Because they know how much you care about me."

She leaned in to kiss him while wrapping her arms around his neck. Will mirrored her enthusiasm until she began to straddle him. He pulled himself away and gently moved her back to a sitting position.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Elizabeth, I just don't think we should be doing this. Not here."

"Do you want to go up to my room?" She stood and held out her hand.

"No. I think we should sleep in the _rooms_ your parents prepared for us," he said, placing a heavy emphasis on the word 'rooms.'

Elizabeth pouted, "But Will…"

He stood and gave her a kiss on her forehead. "If your parents really do like me, I don't want to press my luck. I'm going upstairs to get ready for bed. I'm knackered. Are you coming with me?"

"I suppose," she grumbled.

Will laughed, taking her hand in his while walking towards the staircase. When they finished their ascent, he smiled at her before walking into the loo and closing the door. Elizabeth sighed and walked into her old bedroom to change into her nightclothes. She selected a small, airy negligee in an attempt to persuade Will to…lighten up a bit.

She slinked across the hall and quietly opened the door to the loo, where she found him standing in front of the sink, dressed only in his boxers. He was too busy brushing his teeth to notice Elizabeth's entrance. She stood by the door (that she had closed behind her), waiting for him to finish. When he did, he turned around and jumped when he saw her.

"You scared the sh…Geez, Elizabeth. Don't do that," he said, clutching part of an imaginary shirt near his heart.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, clearly not sorry at all. "I just came in to tell you goodnight."

She rested her small hands against his chest and backed him into a corner of the room, where she began to attack his collarbone with her mouth. Will sighed deeply, much to her chagrin, and she took it as an invitation to continue her path down his chest, with her hands leading the way. When her fingers reached his waist, she hooked them underneath his boxers and pushed them to the ground. She could feel the muscles in his abdomen tighten underneath her mouth in anticipation for what he knew she was about to do. And even though he was expecting it, he sucked in his breath sharply when her lips finally arrived _there_. Will was leaning heavily into the corner and had his arms against both walls to brace himself. Her lips were moving along his length at an excruciatingly slow pace while her tongue gave the impression of being a third hand. It was unlike anything he had experienced before, and he had no idea how she knew exactly what to do in order to drive him over the edge. He did his best to keep himself from moving his hips, desperately not wanting to discourage her behavior. Will felt himself getting close to his release as he watched her, and he tore his eyes away from her face, in order to prolong the experience. When he looked up, he suddenly realized they were still in the Swanns' upstairs toilet – and not his or Elizabeth's, and he brought his hands to her hair, intending to stop her. When she felt his fingers on her scalp, she lightly grazed her teeth along him, and everything became too much for Will as he finally lost himself.

"Gods! Liz!" He slumped against the wall and began to slide to the floor, making Elizabeth laugh at his horrible posture.

"Are you okay?"

Will struggled to catch his breath as he frowned at her. "We shouldn't do this here. Your parents finally welcome me into their home, and I'm repaying them for their kindness by getting a job from their daughter."

"If you didn't like it, I won't do it anymore," she teased as she stood.

"No, that's not – Damn it." Will stood, pulling up his boxers as he did so.

"Let's go to my room, Will." Elizabeth picked up his clothes and headed for the door.

"Elizabeth, we can't! Haven't you been listening to me?"

She stopped and turned towards him, eyeing him coyly. "I thought it was every bloke's erotic fantasy to take his girl in her childhood bed?"

Will moved closer, taking his clothes from her grasp. "Yeah, well…last time I indulged in that little fantasy, my girlfriend was taken away from me." Despite his protest, Will followed her into her room and closed the door, dropping his clothes on the floor. Elizabeth grinned slyly and motioned for him to come to her. He obeyed and placed his hands on her shoulders, sliding the tiny straps of her negligee down her arm as he kissed her. His hands moved from her shoulders to her back, and he pulled her close to him while she ran her own hands underneath his boxers and grabbed his backside. It wasn't long before they were both undressed and moving towards her old bed. They got there sooner than they expected and fell onto the mattress. The bedsprings gave a huge groan as the frame squeaked loudly.

"We can't do this here. We'll make too much noise," he whispered. Will was worried they would wake her parents, who were asleep in the next room.

"Don't be ridiculous. They're already sleeping. You can hear Daddy snoring," she said, pulling his face back down to hers.

Will stopped her again. "Elizabeth. This is not going to work."

"It will if you'll quit arguing with me." Her voice was stern as she wiggled out from underneath him and moved to the center of the bed, doing her best to pull him along with her. Will was very reluctant to follow, but instinct overruled his better judgment, and soon, he found himself poised over her once again.

He carefully entered her and did his best to move as slowly as he could, in order to prevent more creaking noises, but his efforts were in vain. No matter how careful he tried to be, the squeaking continued. Deciding to try a new tactic, Will maneuvered them into another position. The bed seemed to comply with this decision, but the new arrangement was very pleasing to Elizabeth and caused her to moan loudly.

"Shh! Elizabeth." He stopped, trying to keep the peace.

"Will! Quit being such a fogy."

He stared at her, trying to show his frustration with her lack of concern, but she was staring just as hard back at him, getting frustrated with his extreme caution.

"Well," he breathed, "what do you want me to do?"

"Stop being so damn skittish."

"I would if you and the bed weren't making so much noise!" he hissed.

"Fine. Just…keep going, and I'll be quiet."

He didn't really believe her, but he was having a hard time continuing his argument, as his body begged him to comply with Elizabeth's demands. He continued his thrusts and he was relieved that she did, in fact, remain silent. The pressure inside of him began to build up for the second time that evening, and his pace increased to a frantic tempo. Just before he found his release, the headboard thumped loudly against the wall – the same wall that separated Elizabeth's room from her parents'. The bang made Will cease his movement, and he stared down at Elizabeth, his eyes wide with fear. She, however, looked annoyed.

"Why did you stop…_again_?"

"Did you not hear that?"

She growled, highly irritated with her boyfriend's paranoia. "Will, my parents can sleep through anything."

"But –"

"Look, if you're _that_ worried about it, let's just…get off the bed."

They picked themselves up and slid down the side of the mattress, onto the floor. It was less comfortable, but Will was satisfied that they would not be heard. Feeling more confident, they were able to finish what they had started.

As they stayed next to one another, Elizabeth stroked his hair and gave him a soft smile, reminiscing about their first time so long ago. As if he were reading her thoughts, Will asked, "Did you…? Because I was sort of not…paying attention."

"No. But it's okay. It's somewhat hard for me to…Don't fret about it. I…" Elizabeth had been waiting all night to finally tell Will how she felt about him. "I told Daddy that I loved you."

This revelation startled Will. "I – What? You – you told him…You love me?"

Tears began to well in her eyes as she nodded, "Yes. I love you, Will."

He gave her a huge smiled and hugged her close to him. "You've made me the happiest bloke in all of Britain."

* * *

Will left her room an hour later, in order to fall asleep in the guest bedroom down the hall. He had a peaceful night and woke up the next morning feeling refreshed. After getting dressed, he walked past Elizabeth's room and was surprised to find her still sleeping. Deciding to let her rest, Will walked downstairs and into the kitchen, where he found Weatherby standing beside the counter, busy making morning tea.

"Will! How are you doing?"

"I'm doing well."

"Is Elizabeth still asleep?"

"Yes, sir."

"Ah. Eleanor is too. Women," he muttered, handing a cup of tea to Will. "Would you like to join me at the table?"

"Sure."

They sat down in the dining room and sipped their drinks quietly for a few moments until Weatherby broke the silence. "Elizabeth seems really enamored with you."

"I'm mad about her, as well. She's been a lifesaver for me."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, sir. I went through a…difficult time a few months ago, and she really pulled me through it." It wasn't really a lie. He had been devastated after his breakup with Dina, and just the thought of Elizabeth – that had been enough to get him out of his funk.

"She's an amazing girl."

"Yes, she is."

More silence passed as Weatherby continued to quietly evaluate his daughter's newest beau. "Will…Elizabeth has told me about how well you take care of her."

"Sir?"

"I'm not sure how much you know about her time in Sunderland, but…Elizabeth's not had good experiences with men in the past."

Will remained silent, not really sure where this conversation was headed. Weatherby continued, "There were a few times when we were deeply concerned about her wellbeing and…forgive me if I seem overprotective of her now, but, I don't want to see her hurt again."

"Mr. Swann, I can assure you there is nothing in this world that could cause me to hurt your daughter. I'd go to any length to keep her safe and protected. I love her, sir."

"Please, call me Weatherby," he smiled. "I can see that you really do care for her, and I want to say thank you. Thank you for looking after my little girl."

"There's no need to –"

The older man held up his hand. "I also wanted to apologize for what I did so long ago. If I had known what sort of things would happen to…" He took a deep breath. "I would have never moved her away. But because I did – because I was unnecessarily rude to you – I am truly sorry. Please accept my apologies, Will. You're the best man she's ever had. Will you look after her – make sure she's alright?"

The young man was dumbfounded. He wasn't entirely certain about what was being asked of him, but he appreciated the sincerity of the man's attempt for making amends. "I – yes. Thank you, sir…Weatherby."

The moment was interrupted when Elizabeth walked in. "What's going on in here?"

"Man talk, sweetie," Weatherby said. "There's some tea in the kitchen. Why don't you join us?"

She smiled and walked towards the kitchen, oblivious to the new understanding that existed between Will and her father.


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N: So, it's been two weeks. Sorry. Been busy…excuses, excuses. It's the truth though. Anyway…here it is. Enjoy._

Elizabeth was still feeling overwhelmingly happy from their trip to Sunderland over a month ago. Even though she suspected they would, the fact that her parents seemed to accept Will – and even put their old judgments behind them – somewhat confirmed to her that life was finally beginning to turn around. This elation had been bubbling inside for weeks now, and there didn't seem to be any end in sight, which was perfectly fine with her. And now, Will was on his way to pick her up for dinner. He refused to tell her where they were going and only told her to look nice. He had been acting very sneaky lately, and whenever she had asked him why, he just smiled and said, "You'll see."

This made her break into a huge grin as she placed her finest earrings in her ears. She couldn't wait to go anywhere with Will, but for some reason, she was especially excited today, and Elizabeth couldn't quite figure out why. She supposed he had a surprise for her – why else keep up all the secrecy? But she had no idea what it could be. It definitely wasn't an engagement. They had never really talked about the future, and they _had_ only been dating for three and a half months. Still, whatever it was, Elizabeth knew it was going to be something special. She looked at herself in the mirror for the thirty-second time that evening, making sure her dress had no crinkles in the fabric…yet again. Her hair had been perfectly pinned in place, and she felt fantastic.

A knock at the door caused her to grin even wider. As quickly as she could in the heels she wore, Elizabeth ran to greet her boyfriend. A gasp escaped her when she saw him standing in the doorway. Will was in a black suit, hair combed neatly to the side, and smiling.

"Hello, beautiful."

"Will, you look so handsome."

"You're looking pretty fit yourself." He hugged her tightly and kissed her on the cheek. "You ready to go?"

"Where are we going?"

Will winked at her. "I've already told you that it's a surprise."

Elizabeth pretended to pout. "If you can't tell me where we're going, can you at least tell me why we're leaving for dinner at 2:30 in the afternoon?"

He smiled slyly at her. "Because it takes a few hours to go by train and get checked into a hotel."

"What?"

"Well," he started, and for the first time, he looked nervous. "I, uh, hope you don't mind, but…I've got us going on a trip…this weekend."

Her jaw dropped. "But, Will! How did you…I've got to pack! And work! What about…I'm supposed to work tomorrow!"

His expression relaxed. "I've talked to Seth, and he knows…As for your things, you've just got to collect your toothbrush and whatnot because I've got a bag of your clothes packed. I sort of stole some while I was over the past few times. I wanted to keep it a surprise."

Elizabeth let out a small laugh. "Will, this is too much."

"No it isn't." He squeezed her hand and said, "Now, go get your things! We don't want to miss the train."

She had to stifle a squeal before running off to gather her belongings. When she returned, they were just about to lock her door before she remembered something. "Will! Who's going to look after Ellie?"

"Oh," he laughed, "I forgot to tell you. Jack said he wouldn't mind doing it again. I think Ellie's turned him into a cat person. We'll probably have one by the time I get back."

The mention of her name brought Ellie into view, and the couple took turns petting her and saying goodbye before locking Elizabeth's door behind them. An hour and a half later, the two were comfortably sitting on the train, heading towards Glasgow. Will had to give up on keeping their destination secret, since there was no way he could hide it from her once they arrived at the station. Eventually he caved in to Elizabeth's begging and revealed the location for their dinner reservations and the name of their hotel.

"The Radisson! Will! I can't believe it!"

"Well…"

"This is…this is the most romantic thing anyone's ever done for me."

Will wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him. "I just wanted to treat you to something nice."

Elizabeth let her head fall on his shoulder. "Why?"

"Because I love you."

* * *

The train ride didn't seem to take very long, and the check-in at the hotel went as smoothly as Will had hoped it would be. They arrived early for dinner at Viva Ristorante and had a delightful meal, complete with the finest wine. Elizabeth continued to _ooh_ and _ahh_ at everything they did, and her enthusiasm amused Will to no end. After they ate, Will suggested a walk through the city, to which Elizabeth eagerly agreed. The two admired the historic architecture present throughout Glasgow. After a while, they sat down on a vacated bench and watched the passing pedestrians as they snuggled close to one another. They sat in silence for a long time until a young family walked by them – a husband and wife, happily pushing a small child in its stroller.

"I love babies. Don't you?"

Will looked down at Elizabeth. "Depends. Do I think they're cute? Yes. Do I like the sick and poo? No."

She smiled and he continued, "My sons are going to be the most famous footballers in Britain. That way, they'll be able to take care of dear old dad, and I can retire early."

"You don't know the first thing about football."

"No, but they will. I'll make sure of that."

"And what if you have a girl? What if you only ever have daughters?"

Will's face was very serious. "I'm not having any girls."

Elizabeth laughed, "You can't choose whether or not you have a daughter. It's impossible."

"No, it's not. I decided a long time ago that I wouldn't have any daughters. Little girls cry way too much…and they're terribly whiny."

A playful smack from Elizabeth caused Will to laugh, and he hugged her closer to him.

"If I didn't know you weren't serious, I'd make you sleep on this bench tonight, William Turner."

"Well…Don't you agree with me? Aren't little boys better than little girls?"

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes and did her best not to laugh at him. "Shut it."

Will kissed the top of her head. "At least I know that if we have a girl, the fact that she'll be adorable will make up for her annoying fussing."

There was silence as what he had just said sunk in. Elizabeth pulled away to look at him. "If…_we _have a girl?"

Will's eyes grew wide. "I – uh…what?"

"You just said, if _we_ have a girl. Are you saying…," she paused. "What _are_ you saying?"

"I…I don't know. I guess…I guess I'm saying I can picture us having children together, is all."

A slow smile began to creep across Elizabeth's face. "Does that mean– "

"It means that I can see myself marrying you someday."

He leaned in to kiss her, and she responded quickly by placing her hands on his face and pulling him against her body, deepening their kiss as she did so. Neither paid any attention to the people on the street. The two were only concerned about that moment – a moment that seemed to change their entire perspective on their relationship.

"Will?"

"Hm?"

"I think I'm ready to go back to our room."

He grinned and stood, extending one of his hands to help her up. Elizabeth hooked her arm through his as they began making their way back to the hotel. They remained silent as they walked, content with enjoying each other's company. After a long while, the couple arrived at the door to their room, and Will unlocked it. Once inside, he wrapped Elizabeth in his arms and kissed her gently. Before things could progress further, he ended it.

"I've got to use the toilet."

Elizabeth chided him. "You're the master moment killer. You know that, don't you?"

"You love me. Admit it."

She shook her head. "Sometimes, I guess."

"Oh, yeah?" he asked before pouncing on her to administer a fierce bout of tickling. Despite her pleas of protest, Will continued his torture for a solid two minutes before relenting.

"Will! You're so mean to me!"

"Phfft. I'm going to change clothes. You should too."

Still catching her breath, Elizabeth asked, "Why is that?"

"It'd be a lot more comfortable than those heels you've got on," he called over his shoulder as he walked away. "Just a suggestion."

When he closed the door to the loo, she turned around and began to rummage through the bags Will had packed for them. She only found one piece of clothing deemed suitable to sleep in, and she rolled her eyes at his cheekiness for packing it. Elizabeth undressed quickly and slipped into the outfit, just as Will walked back into the room, clad only in baggy sleep pants.

"Ah! Now, isn't that better?"

She narrowed her eyes. "It seems to be an odd coincidence that the _only_ nightclothes you brought for me happened to be the smallest, thinnest thing I owned."

Will's eyebrows rose as he feigned innocence. "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh really?"

He continued to stand on the other side of the room as he stared at her body. Her white thong could be seen through the light blue material of her negligee, and he swallowed hard as his eyes roamed up to her breasts.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes again as Will goggled her. "Well," she said, leaning forward to take something off the small table beside the bed. "I suppose if this is the only thing I've got…there's really no reason for me to have put it on is there? I mean, this is coming off pretty soon…isn't it?" she grinned seductively at him.

"Pretty much…yeah."

"Then you'd better hang this on the door," she said, dangling a plastic "Do Not Disturb" sign from her index finger. This made Will give a huge lop-sided grin as he stumbled over his feet trying to get to the little sign. In record time, he managed to yank it from her grasp, open the door, slam it on the handle, and shut the door as he ran back to her. They spent the rest of the evening thoroughly enjoying Elizabeth _not_ wearing her lingerie.

The next morning, the two walked to a small café for breakfast. As they ate, the two engaged in small conversation, mostly discussing what they would do that afternoon. Will made it known he was content to stay in their room for the rest of the day, but Elizabeth was interested in exploring the city and for the most part, ignored his waggling eyebrows. A few seconds of silence passed between them before she spoke again.

"I sort of feel bad for leaving Ellie by herself."

"What?"

"I mean, we just took a weekend trip a few weeks ago, right? Now I've left her…again."

"Liz, Ellie was fine when we visited your parents. And Jack is looking after her again."

"I know, but what if she gets lonely?"

Will stared at her as her crazy cat lady persona began to show itself. "Uh…she's a cat, Elizabeth. Aren't cats supposed to be solitary anyway?"

"Ellie's not just a cat, Will! She's almost like a person!"

He decided it was best to stay silent.

"Besides," she continued, "I was thinking about getting her a…friend. A little kitty friend."

Will's blank stare never wavered. "Why?"

"To keep her company! Have you not heard anything I've been saying?"

He laughed and pulled her from her seat. "Yes, I have. Why don't we walk around a bit, and maybe we can find a toy to occupy her until you find that new playmate, hm?"

She smiled in agreement, and they exited the little café hand-in-hand.

* * *

The two practically fell through the front door to Elizabeth's flat as soon as it opened. With a swift kick, Will slammed it shut when they were both inside and promptly cornered Elizabeth beside the door. The two were glad to be back in London, but the effect the weekend had left on them had not yet worn off. Her luggage was dropped nonchalantly at their feet. He grinned cheekily at her, and she returned his smile. She kissed him lightly on the nose, and he responded by pinning her arms against the wall. This made her laugh, and he silenced her by capturing her lips with his own. When her phone began to ring, she stopped their kiss.

"Will, I have to answer the phone."

"Let your little machine pick it up. They'll leave a message."

Elizabeth needed no more persuasion and decided it was in her best interest to forget about the incoming call. She lost herself in Will's kiss once again, and both found it easy to ignore the blaring ring coming from her living room just a few feet away. Soon, one of his hands was traveling beneath her sweater, slowly making its way towards the clasp of her bra. Will stopped to gently rub her lower back before proceeding, which elicited a soft moan from Elizabeth. Each was so engrossed in the other that they barely noticed the beep from her answering machine signaling the beginning of a message.

"_Hello, Elizabeth. Sorry that I didn't catch you while you were at home – "_

Elizabeth's eyes opened, and she broke the kiss at the sound of the woman's voice. "Will! Let me go!"

" – _but this is Beverly Hansel – "_

He grinned, and playfully gripped her arms tighter against the wall as he leaned his body against hers. "You'll have to make me."

Her eyes grew wide as the woman continued to talk. She struggled against Will, trying to get out of his possessive hold on her.

" – _from Porter Rehabilitation Services – "_

"Will! LET GO OF ME!"

She was on the verge of becoming absolutely hysterical. Will lost his smile. "What's wrong?"

" – _and I just wanted to let you know that we've decided to move your appointment, due to the progress that you've made – "_

Elizabeth's face lost its color, and Will looked absolutely flabbergasted as they continued to listen to the woman speak.

" – _and there's a very good possibility that your probation will be shortened – "_

Will's mouth dropped open while Elizabeth's eyes welled with tears.

" – _but we can discuss this more in depth when you call me back. You've got my number."_

They stood in silence for a moment, until Elizabeth finally broke free of Will's grasp. She walked towards the other side of the room, keeping her back turned towards him.

"Elizabeth, what– ?"

"You weren't supposed to have heard that."

"But…that woman said something about prob– "

"This doesn't concern you, Will!"

Her tone shocked him. "What's gotten into you?"

"You!" She spun around to face him and struggled to keep control over the tears that threatened to fall. "If you had just let me answer the phone when it began to ring, this wouldn't have happened!"

"What are you talking about? What wouldn't have happened?"

"Nothing."

"Elizabeth– "

"Drop it, Will! Just…just stop."

Will felt himself getting angry. "Why are you getting so mad with me? What have I done to deserve this? I don't even know why you're so upset!"

Elizabeth glared at him. "Because you've got no business hearing what you did!"

"I don't even know what I heard! You're being irrational!"

"Am I?"

"Yes!" Will was confused and frustrated with the entire situation, while Elizabeth seemed to be getting angrier and more defensive with each passing second.

"You should leave, then. You wouldn't want an irrational wench ruining your weekend, would you?"

"Elizabeth– "

"You wouldn't understand, Will."

"Maybe I could if my girlfriend wasn't hiding secrets from me!"

He didn't mean to sound so harsh, and he regretted it as soon as the words left his mouth. Elizabeth's jaw dropped as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Elizabeth, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have– "

She shook her head and said, "Get out of my flat."

"Eliz– "

"GET OUT, WILL!"

He stared at her for a moment. Then, without a word, he turned and opened her door, slamming it behind him.


	15. Chapter 15

_A/N: Surprise, surprise! It only took me a few days to update this time, rather than two weeks. Don't get used to it. Probably won't happen again._

Will wasn't sure why he felt so angry. He supposed it had something to do with the fact that the little message from that mystery woman had been such a huge shock to his system, and he wasn't really sure how to handle it. The message had been so vague, and he didn't really understand what it was about. She had mentioned something about probation, but probation from what? When he finally arrived at his flat, he yanked the door open and slammed it behind him. Jack called for him, but Will ignored his flatmate and stalked straight into his room. It wasn't until he started to change clothes that he realized he left his bags in his car. As he pulled on an old shirt, he tried to calm himself down and almost succeeded until Jack poked his head into the room.

"I figured you'd stay at Liz's tonight."

Will avoided eye contact and didn't respond.

"What happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it right now, Jack."

Jack walked into the room and despite Will's request, continued to interrogate him. "It's still early in the evening."

"Bugger off, Jack."

"What's gotten into you?"

Will spun around to face him. He started to shout something but realized that it wasn't fair to take out his frustration on his friend. "I…I don't know. Something's going on with Elizabeth, and I haven't got a clue as to what it is."

"Did you two have a row?"

"No. Well, sort of. We got back to her place, and everything was fine. Then Beverly something-or-other called and left a message that set Elizabeth off, and…here I am."

"What did Beverly something-or-other say?"

"That's the thing. I'm not really sure," he explained. Will almost mentioned the probation mystery but decided that it might be better to wait until he found out more about the situation before spreading the news around. If it had really made Elizabeth so upset, Will was quite certain that it should be kept private. "I didn't really understand what the woman was saying, and Elizabeth just…flipped out. Apparently it was something I wasn't supposed to hear."

Jack considered this for a moment. "Was she…upset or angry or what?"

"She got angry and directed it all at me, and I don't know why. I mean, it was an accident that I heard it. It wasn't my fault. She was on the verge of tears when I left."

"Then why are you here?"

"What?"

"Why didn't you stay?"

"Because she kicked me out of her flat!" Will didn't mean to yell at him, and the startled look on Jack's face made him feel guilty. "I'm sorry, Jack. Everything is so confusing right now. We had a brilliant weekend, and then…_this_ happens."

"Listen, mate. Maybe what she needs is time. Just…let her cool off for a bit, yeh?"

Will nodded glumly. Jack gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder and left. With nothing left to do that evening, Will collapsed on the bed and stared at the ceiling, waiting for sleep to claim him. When it finally did, he slept fitfully. His alarm went off too soon, and he decided to go into work early that day, as would help keep his mind occupied. When his coworkers arrived, they knew Will was bothered by something, and they kept their distance for the rest of the day, which made him grateful. Being at the shop had always helped him de-stress, but for some reason, it wasn't working today. He fought the urge to call Elizabeth during lunch and his small breaks. Eventually, he gave up and left the shop an hour after everyone else had gone home. As he walked, he flipped open his mobile, scrolled to her number, stared at it for a few moments, and then closed it, only to repeat the process all over again. By the time he arrived at his flat, the sky was completely black, and the night owls of London had already begun to crawl out of their hiding places to start prowling around the city streets, ready to party on a foggy Monday night. Once the door closed behind him, Will finally realized how tired he really was. After showering, he decided to allow exhaustion to overtake him.

The sound of his alarm roused him from sleep once again, and – once again – he decided to go into work early. While he worked, his mind couldn't help but wander to Elizabeth, and he began to wonder how long he should wait to call her. His insides became squirmy as the morning drug by, and Will resolved to call her during his lunch break…just to check on her. He tried repeatedly during those forty minutes, but she never answered his call. He reckoned she was still angry with him and made up his mind to visit her after work.

Will was careful to finish the frames he was building by the time the shop closed and hopped on the tube heading towards Elizabeth's flat. While he rode the train, he ran through all the things he would say when he saw her again. An apology was necessary, he decided, even though he wasn't really sure _what _he was apologizing for. When he finally arrived at the station, he hurried outside and jogged the rest of the way to her building. He took a deep breath before knocking on her door. As he waited, Will shifted his weight from side to side, feeling his palms sweat in anticipation. He wasn't sure why he was so nervous, but he supposed it was because he didn't know what her reaction would be to him standing there. He knocked again when she didn't come to the door, and then again a few moments later. As he banged on the door for the fourth time, he started to worry, but his common sense told him that she was probably out with Sarah somewhere in the city. Will pulled out his mobile and dialed her number. He wasn't surprised that she didn't answer (once again) and satisfied himself with leaving her a message before walking the few blocks back to his own flat.

He didn't hear from her that night, so he tried calling her in the morning before heading off to the shop. As he left her another message, Will decided to visit the bookshop during his lunch break. For the third day in a row, the morning moved at a snail's pace. When noon finally arrived, he ran out of the shop and quickly made his way towards Coldwater Books. The shop was somewhat full of customers, and Will scanned the room for any sign of Elizabeth. He noticed Seth attending to a patron in the back corner of and walked over to talk to him. As he approached, Seth caught his eye and met him halfway to shake his hand.

"Hey, Will! How'd the weekend getaway go?"

"Very well, thanks. We had a good time."

"Except for Elizabeth getting sick, right? How's she feeling?"

Will cocked his head and asked, "What do you mean?"

Seth's eyes grew wide as if he had said something he wasn't supposed to say. "Uh…Elizabeth called in sick Monday morning. Said she had gotten some sort of bug or something over the weekend…"

"Called in?"

"Did she not…She didn't tell you?"

Will paused as a feeling of dread washed over him. "She…No. I haven't talked to her since…Sunday. That's why I came here. I – I was looking for her."

Seth's face fell. "What happened?"

"We had a row when we got back, and…she's…she's not answered her mobile when I've tried calling her."

"Oh no."

"Seth, do you think you could call her? She might talk to you. I just need to know if she's alright."

"Yeah. Of course."

The two men walked to the employee's lounge and through a door that led to the manager's office. Seth quickly dialed Elizabeth's number while Will tried to calm his rapidly beating heart. After a few tense seconds, Seth looked up and said, "Hello?"

Will thought he might faint from the relief that flooded his body. He watched as the manager talked to Elizabeth.

"Hey, Liz. I just wanted to check up on you…Still not feeling well, eh?...Well, that's good that you're getting better…Listen – uh – Will's here and– …Elizabeth, wait…No, he's just worried about you, is all…Uh huh…Look, could you just–…Liz–…I think he'd like to talk to you…Come on…Elizabeth? Liz?"

He shook his head as he placed the phone receiver back on its base. "She hung up on me, but she's fine. She's okay, Will."

"What did she say?"

Seth looked away. "She, uh, said she didn't want to talk to you right now. I tried to convince her to answer your calls, but she cut me off. I don't know what's gotten into her. She's not usually like this."

Will's heart sank. "Yeah, I know."

There was an awkward pause before either said anything. "What…what did you two argue about? If you don't mind me asking."

Will was reluctant to say anything, but he was aware that Seth knew Elizabeth better than anyone in London. "There was a message left on her machine that, apparently, I wasn't supposed to have heard. Some woman named Beverly called, and…she said something about Elizabeth's probation being shortened and her appointment time being moved up."

"Oh."

"Oh?"

Seth looked nervous. "Listen, Will. I think you should discuss this with Elizabeth."

"I can't! She won't even talk to me!"

"Maybe you should try visiting her flat–"

"I already have."

"Try again."

"Seth, can't you just–"

"No, I can't, Will. I'm sorry. This is something she has to tell you. I can try calling her again, if you'd like, but she probably won't answer my calls anymore."

Feeling dejected, Will shook his head. "No. It's okay. I'll…I'll try again. Thanks, Seth."

The other man nodded and walked him to the door, wishing him luck as he left the shop. Building up his resolve, Will decided to attempt to contact Elizabeth one more time before giving up and waiting for her to find him. If she didn't answer his phone call, he'd have to go back to her flat again. Not surprisingly, Will was directed to her voicemail. He swung by the bike shop to inform them he would have to leave early. No one objected because he had been extremely productive the past two and a half days. And for the second time that week, Will found himself on a train heading towards Elizabeth's flat. After he arrived, he knocked on her door for thirty minutes and called her name for another ten before deciding his efforts were in vain.

Jack's voice greeted him as he walked into their flat. "Will! Wasn't expecting you home already."

"I left the shop early today," he said, flopping on the couch beside his friend.

"Still no word from Liz, huh?"

"She told her boss she was sick. Still won't answer my calls. I've visited her twice, and she won't answer the door. I don't know what to do, Jack."

"I'm sorry, mate."

"Jack…do you think you could visit her for me?"

"What?"

"I mean, she's obviously not going to talk to me, but maybe if you went to her place…"

"I dunno, Will."

"Please, Jack," he pleaded. "It's my last hope."

Jack stared at Will and couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He looked so pitiful and desperate that there was no way he could deny his request. "All right. I'll go. But I'm not making any promises."

"Thanks, Jack. Really. Thank you."

"Right then." Jack stood and walked to the door, silently hoping that there would be some way he could make contact with his reclusive friend. He trudged down the sidewalk slowly, completely convinced there was nothing he could do to help Will. If she refused to talk to her boyfriend, there was no way possible he would ever get her to talk to him – his best mate. He decided that if Elizabeth didn't answer within ten minutes, he would leave. When Jack arrived, he knocked half-heartedly and leaned against the wall beside her door to wait. After a few seconds, he could have sworn he heard something shuffle behind the door but figured it was his imagination. Reaching behind him, he knocked again. This time, he was surprised to hear a voice behind the door.

"Who is it?"

Jack turned abruptly and said, "Lizzie. It's me."

There was a pause as she stared at him through the little peephole. "What do you want, Jack?"

"I just want to talk."

"Is…Is Will with you?"

"No."

The scrape of various locks sounded through the heavy wood, and a few seconds later, the door opened to reveal a very disheveled looking Elizabeth Swann. Her appearance surprised him, as he was used to her looking very well kept and clean…er. An old bathrobe was wrapped around her small frame, and her hair was pulled back haphazardly. It was obvious that she had been asleep, and from the way her skin swelled around her eyes, Jack assumed she had been crying before losing consciousness. Keeping her eyes on the floor, she stepped aside to allow him access to her flat. Ellie was circling her legs and mewing softly.

"Hey there, Ellie. How're you doing, kitty kitty?" Jack stooped to pet the grey ball of fur that had run to him. "Sorry. No food tonight."

Because she knew Jack was there to comfort Elizabeth, or because he did _not_, in fact, have any food (or perhaps a combination of both), Ellie padded away from them and headed for the kitchen. With the cat gone, he looked into Elizabeth's face and felt his heart drop as he saw the tears building in her eyes.

"How are you doing?"

"Oh, Jack…" she sobbed. Not being able to finish her answer, she flung herself at him and cried. He directed her towards one of the large, squishy armchairs in her living room and continued to hug her until she regained her composure. When she pulled away, he knelt in front of her.

"I'm sorry, Jack."

"What's going on? I heard that you called in sick. Are you feeling okay?"

"Yes," she sniffed. "I'm fine…Well, I'm not sick, at least."

"Then why are you cooped up here by yourself on such a lovely afternoon?"

"It's almost dark."

Jack waved her statement away. "Liz, you know my internal clock is off by about five hours." He smiled when she gave a small laugh. "Really…What's going on with you?"

"Did…he tell you what happened?"

"Who, Will?"

She nodded.

"He said you two had gotten into a row, but didn't really say why. Something about a message from some woman. I don't remember, to be honest."

"He…He didn't tell you what he heard?"

Jack shook his head. "Only that you were upset that he heard it."

"Oh."

There was a moment's silence before Jack spoke again. "Look, if he's done something to upset you, I'll punch him right in the nose. He's my best mate, but if he did anything to hurt you–"

"Oh no, Jack!" she interrupted. "No, that's not it."

"Then what? Because I really don't think he knows what it is he actually did to upset you."

When tears began to roll down her cheeks again, he became horrified and tried to apologize. "Lizzie, please…don't cry. I'm not good at this girl stuff. Have pity on me!"

She smiled. "The thing is…he…I'm not upset with Will. It's…more _me_ that I'm upset with. The message was a reminder about things…I've done. And I've sort of kept it hidden from Will."

"Things?"

She looked away. "Things in my past…Things I'm not proud of."

"I think you need to tell this to him." She started to protest, but he stopped her. "Listen to me, Elizabeth. Will doesn't even know why you're so sodding upset. Doesn't even understand what the message was about." He paused and considered something. "Do you – and this is personal, but – Do you still want to be with him?"

"Of – of course I do. He's the best thing that's happened to me in years, Jack."

"Then I think you need to let him see you. He's worrying himself sick over there at our flat, and quite honestly, I don't want to watch him mope for the rest of the week. All that aside…Will has a right to know why you've avoided him for the past three days. And I'm not telling you to reveal your deep, dark secrets all at once…I'm just saying…Let him know you're not upset with _him_."

She nodded slowly. Elizabeth always found it oddly comforting that Jack had such a way with words at times. "Okay."

"Okay?"

"I…I'll go see him."

"Really?" Jack couldn't keep the surprise out of his voice.

"I just…Can I take a shower first?"

"Yeah. I'll just–"

"Jack! Stay…I'd really like for you to stay so I don't have to walk alone."

"Fair enough. I'll just wait in here, shall I?" He plopped himself down on her couch as she made her way down the hall to get ready.

Still in disbelief, Jack shook his head and said, "I'll be damned."


	16. Chapter 16

Will felt better after he stepped out of the shower

_A/N: Longest yet, my friends._

Will felt better after he stepped out of the shower. There was something about having hot water pound against his shoulders that relaxed him, and it seemed to rinse his worry down the drain. He yanked his towel off the rack and quickly dried himself off. Still feeling pretty warm from his shower, he decided to forgo a normal outfit and pulled on a clean pair of boxers and a worn button down shirt. The cool air of the rest of his flat felt refreshing against his skin, and Will left his shirt hanging open, allowing a draft to circulate around his torso.

While he waited for Jack to return, he began to get his notes and sketchpad together and proceeded to the kitchen, where he set everything up on the table. There was a custom bicycle order he had yet to begin designing, and now seemed to be an appropriate time to start. Time passed quickly as Will sketched the frame and made the calculations to see if the design was conceivable to build. He rubbed his eyes and looked at the clock hanging crookedly on the kitchen wall for a few seconds before he realized that he had been working on his project for forty minutes. This concerned him because that meant Jack had been gone for almost an hour and a half already, which had the potential to be either very good or very bad. It was possible that Jack had somehow managed to find a way inside Elizabeth's flat to talk to her…or he could have given up after a few minutes and walked to some pub close by. Will wanted the former case to be true and hoped Jack would be able to convince Elizabeth to see him. If he did, Will had something he thought would help make her feel better, and he wanted to give it to her tonight. Now that he had absorbed the fact that his friend had been gone for some time, it was extremely difficult to concentrate on the work in front of him. Deciding that a break was in order, he stood and stretched, rolling his neck and shoulders, trying to alleviate the stiffness that had formed from hunching over the table and all his papers. Will started thinking about his so-called "gift" for Elizabeth and walked into the living room to check on it. Before he could study it longer, the sound of a key turning the front door's lock snapped him back to reality, and Will moved to greet Jack as he walked through the door. Only, the first person he saw wasn't Jack. It was Elizabeth, with Jack bringing up the rear.

Will could have sworn he felt his heart stop beating for a few seconds. He had not expected Jack to be successful in his attempts to convince her to talk to him, let alone bring her here to see him. As a result, he was left speechless, and all he could do was just stare at her as his heart began its constant rhythm once again.

"Hey," she whispered.

"Hey."

Elizabeth looked unsure of herself and took a few awkward steps towards him before stopping. The silence was interrupted by Jack.

"Listen, Will. I've, uh, got to go see Tom about some…things. Things for Friday night, that is. I'm going to head over to the pub and talk to him. It'll probably take a while, so don't expect me back for a few hours…or seven," he smiled.

Will knew perfectly well that there was nothing Jack needed to discuss with Tom, as nothing about Friday nights had changed in months. His flatmate was just doing his best to give them time alone, and for that, Will was even more grateful.

"Thanks, Jack," he said, "for everything."

"No problem, mate."

A quiet voice added, "Thank you, Jack."

"Anytime, love. Now, I must be going. Ta." Jack waved and then was gone, leaving the couple alone for the first time in days.

Will gave her a small smile and tried to think of something to say. "So…"

The sound of his voice caused Elizabeth to burst into tears as words began to tumble out of her. "Will, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten so mad. I wasn't mad at you. I was just embarrassed and…" She broke into heavy sobs, and he wrapped his arms around her.

"It's okay."

"No, it's not. I shouldn't have–"

"Shh. It's fine. Just calm down. Do you want anything?"

Elizabeth shook her head against his shoulder and sniffed. "Not right now."

"Do you…want to sit down?"

"No."

"Okay."

After a few minutes, Elizabeth regained her composure and looked at Will. "I want to tell you everything. I've been hiding parts of me from you, and it's not fair to you. It's…eating me inside."

"You don't have to. I don't want you to feel pressured."

"I do have to, Will. It's something I _need_ to do."

"Alright. Why don't we get out of this entryway first? I think I'd like some tea. Would you?" She nodded, and he led her into the kitchen area and began to make their drinks. Neither spoke as they drank. Will wanted to let her take the first step into the long conversation he knew was coming. When she finished, Elizabeth placed her cup in the sink and rested against the counter, while Will leaned on the table.

"I've been a right mess lately. And I'm sorry for that," she began. "I'm not angry that you heard what you did. Well, I am, but it's directed at myself, really. I…I suppose I need to start at the beginning for all of this to make sense." She looked at him, waiting for a response before continuing.

"Do whatever makes you comfortable. I'm listening."

Elizabeth took a deep breath. "When we moved away from Glastonbury, I was really upset, as any teenage girl would be. Daddy thought it was me being overly dramatic, but I had a really hard time adjusting to being ripped away from everything I knew. Our house, as you saw a few weeks ago, was right in the middle of a rich neighborhood. My parents chose it because they felt it was safe. And it was, I suppose. The harsh reality was that I was singled out for it. It's ironic how most cases seem the opposite, but here I was, a new student from a wealthy family, shoved into a much larger school than my previous one. I don't know what it was about me, but I couldn't find my niche there. And I know this sounds like a woe-is-me type of story, but I'm not looking for sympathy, okay?"

"Understood."

"Anyway, after a few months of roaming alone, suddenly I found myself in the middle of this group of people that paid a minute amount of attention to me. I was so starved for acceptance that I didn't care what it took to be included. We hung out around different parts of the city, finding ourselves loitering around various streets and dives. We weren't hooligans, but we weren't upstanding citizens either. Pretty soon, I…I got into a relationship with one of the guys. He was one of the typical alpha male leaders portrayed on the telly or in the cinema. Very demanding, this bloke. But again, I wanted so badly to be accepted, I went along, even though I knew it was a bad idea."

"What do you mean?"

"Deep down, I knew that he wasn't into me for _me_. I was one of those girls that took up space until he found someone new. But I needed the attention, or at least, I thought I did. As you've probably surmised, the relationship was basically based upon us shagging all the time, and even though I knew it was inevitable, when it ended, I was devastated. That is, until the next bloke asked me out. And I fell into this vicious cycle for the rest of my time in school. I never felt appreciated for who I was, but it was the attention I received that got me addicted. The mindless sex was my escape for a while." She smiled sadly. "It's strange that the reason Daddy moved me away was to prevent this sort of thing from happening, but I realize now that he thought I'd have a better life there…for whatever reason. So, after I was finally done with school, I got hired at Coldwater Books and fell in love with the shop. I still hung around my little group of acquaintances, but we sort of drifted apart when I started working at the bookshop. I was still dating these horrible excuses for human beings, but I finally felt like I was beginning to make something of myself. I was _good_ at what I did. I could understand our customers, and the entire staff was so nice to me. Seth had already been working there for some time, and we got along particularly well. He sort of took me under his wing and helped me get out of some bad spots I found myself in…quite frequently."

"What sort of spots?"

"Mostly relationship issues. I was a big pushover – just some weak minded girl that allowed her boyfriends to dominate over her and do as they please."

"Did they ever hurt you?"

"Never hurt, per se."

"What do you mean?"

She hesitated. "At times, I felt as if…they'd push me to do things I didn't want to do at the time."

"Like what?" he asked. When she didn't say anything, Will got a sick feeling in his stomach. "Elizabeth, did…" He paused, hoping against hope she wasn't implying what he thought she was. "Did they rape you?"

"I…No. I mean, there were times I didn't want the sex, but every time we started…I let myself go because it was my release from reality."

"Elizabeth–"

"Seth thought the same thing, but…really, it wasn't. They were aggressive, sure. But I was never unwillingly sexually assaulted."

A small amount of relief washed over him, but he was horrified that she had gone through these things. "I'm sorry I couldn't have been there to keep you away from this."

"Oh, Will! Don't blame yourself. It was my own bad decisions."

"But–"

"But nothing. I kept myself in this pattern purposefully because I didn't want to deal with my own insecurities. I kept those I truly cared for in the dark about what was happening. Seth was the only one that would try to talk to me about it, but I pushed him away every time he did. Daddy and Mum, I think, tried to ignore what little they knew. I was fine around the house, and they wanted to keep that image, I suppose. And we were able to fool our neighbors that way for a few years. Then, I met this bloke…and that's where this little fiasco really begins, I guess." She rubbed her face with her hands. "I thought that I was doing well with my life, and this guy comes in the shop one day – really flirtatious – and he's not bad looking either. We hit it off and went on a few dates. Eventually, we turned into an item. He was a lot different than anyone else I had been with in Sunderland, even though he _was_ still slightly overbearing. He still treated me better than I had been before. We went out with his friends and had some fun nights in various clubs and bars. Soon, it became apparent that these people were part of the growing drug culture in the city. We'd go to someone's house, and they'd get high. For the most part, I never touched any of it. Every once in a while, though, they'd manage to convince me to take a hit, but that was a rarity. It was always marijuana, and never anything more serious. Well, I say nothing serious, but it was the damn ganja that got me into trouble."

"What?"

"I riding in a car with some of them, going – I don't even remember where – and it was one of those occasions they'd managed to convince me to join their trip into the clouds. My boyfriend was not driving in a sober state, and we were pulled over not long after we had started. We were told to get out of the car, and they knew, instantly, that we out of it. I started losing it because I knew I was screwed, but what I didn't know was that the arsehole was transporting cocaine in the trunk to some drop off point. The police searched the car, and of course, found it and took us all in to the station. We were booked on possession charges, and I was facing incarceration. Fortunately for me, Daddy cut a deal with the District Attorney. Since I wasn't aware of the drop off, and because I had no blemishes on my record, the charge of intent to sell was dropped. And miraculously I was able to get away with community service and probation, as long as I agreed to testify in court and check myself into a rehabilitation clinic. I complied and underwent a few months of treatment for substance abuse, but while I was there, the counselors were able to help me come to terms with my inferiority complex and self-doubt. Even though it was one of the worst experiences of my life, it really turned me around and got me in a better place. Of course, when all of this happened, the manager at Coldwater wanted to let me go, but Seth convinced him to let me stay on staff if I transferred with him to London. The rehabilitation center arranged for me to check in with another branch here in the city, and the woman you heard is my probation officer that's been keeping an eye on me since I've moved down here. My parents didn't want me to come, but Seth promised Daddy that he'd look after me, and in the end, I think they realized I needed to get away from the scene I had been involved with. So, I moved here and…" She took a deep breath and looked at Will. "And then I found you…again." Her lip trembled as tears accumulated in her eyes.

"Elizabeth…"

The sound of her name broke the dam, and she rushed to him, feeling overwhelmingly comforted by his strong embrace. Surprisingly, she managed to stop crying and just clung to him tightly. "Anyway," she mumbled into his chest, "that's it."

Will pulled her away to look in her eyes. "Thank you for telling me. I know it's not easy to talk about it, but I really appreciate you opening up to me. I just want you to know that what I said a few months ago – about the past – still applies. It doesn't matter to me what's happened. All that matters now is that you're okay and that I love you. I'll always love you, Elizabeth. No matter what, I'm here for you."

"Thank you, Will." She smiled and squeezed his hands appreciatively. They stood in silence, as they often did. Before long, Elizabeth's eyes traveled to Will's bare chest, slightly exposed beneath his still unbuttoned shirt. He noticed her staring at him and moved to fasten his shirt.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting you to come over."

Elizabeth placed her hands over his own to stop him. "I like this look for you. It's sexy."

Will laughed as she ran her hands behind his back and hugged him. He kissed the top of her head and returned her embrace. It wasn't long before he felt light kisses against his collarbone, and he looked down to find her looking up at him. "Elizabeth, we don't have to…I mean, if you're not–"

"Will," she interrupted, "I don't use sex as an escape from reality anymore. I've learned to enjoy it. This–" she kissed his ear, "is an invitation–" she moved to his jaw, "for you to join me." Her mouth found his, and Will almost laughed at the irony that this was almost exactly the same situation they found themselves in the last time they were this close together in his kitchen.

When he felt her teeth nibble on his bottom lip, he could not resist temptation any longer. Will opened his mouth to allow her tongue to meet with his. Their motions were soft, and each moved slowly, savoring the moment of finally being back together. He lost himself in the feel of her face so close against his. When one of her hands slipped beneath the waistband of his boxers, he gasped, which made Elizabeth giggle. She stroked him lazily, almost teasingly, loving the way she felt him grow in her grasp. Her touch kept Will from being able to continue their kiss, and he broke away, trying to keep a regular breathing pattern. While one hand moved against him, her other hand trailed its fingers along his back, sending rippled chills up and down his spine. His hands gripped her hips tightly as she increased her speed. Needing to regain control, Will fumbled with the buckle on her pants until he managed to unfasten every contraption that held them on her hips. Just as he hooked his fingers underneath them, Elizabeth's thumb brushed against the tip of his cock as her fingernails scraped the length of his back.

"Dear god, Liz."

She laughed lightly and continued her torture. Before she pulled another trick, Will deftly pushed her pants and kickers down her legs, where they crumpled to the floor. Elizabeth stepped out of them and moved closer to Will, doing her best to drive him mad. Wanting to make her just as weak, his knee pushed itself between her legs, allowing his hand to rest between her thighs. Before long, he matched her stroke for stroke against her clit, and she lost her concentration against him. When her head fell against his shoulder, Will kept his thumb moving in circles as he slid his fingers into her, effectively increasing her rapid breathing. Her hair was in his face, but he didn't care because it always smelled wonderful. The scent of her shampoo and skin heightened his arousal, and when he felt Elizabeth's teeth clamp down on his shoulder, Will groaned. Her breath was hot against his skin, and before long, he heard her breathy whisper, "I…I need you."

As quickly as he could, Will removed her shirt and was pleasantly surprised to see her exposed breasts, as she was not wearing a bra. After he flung her shirt to the ground, he lifted her in the air. Elizabeth instinctually wrapped her legs around his hips and gasped as she felt something very cold press into her back. When she opened her eyes, she realized that Will had propped them against the refrigerator. The cool metal against her back contrasted sharply with the intense heat radiating from Will's bare chest, and she reveled in the sensation of his hands against her ribs as he held her there as her arms traveled underneath his shirt to get a better grip on his shoulders. His bare skin and the soft cotton material felt amazing, but the feeling intensified when she felt Will bury himself inside of her at last.

They moved slowly at first, taking their time to increase the pace. Elizabeth kissed his face as he focused on keeping them upright. When she began to slide down the refrigerator, Will shifted his hands to her bum to prevent them from losing their balance. As they continued, the large appliance began to rock with them. When a few magnets fell to the floor, he stopped moving – afraid they would get crushed if they kept going. He looked around frantically for somewhere to go and his eyes rested on the table, still covered with papers from his design efforts. Deciding that the current situation was more urgent, Will violently shoved his work aside with one arm while keeping Elizabeth held close against him with the other. When most of the papers were gone, he laid her gently on the table, leaning over her to continue their pursuit of climax.

Will's arm wrapped around her shoulders as the other stretched towards the top of the table and gripped the side. Things were moving along decidedly better than before. Their rhythm escalated as he thrust himself deeper. The table began to creak loudly, but neither concerned themselves about it. There was no one else to hear the groans of the wood this time. It could have collapsed beneath them, for all they cared. Will felt his body tense with the impending explosion of release, and he moaned, "Liz…"

"Will…not yet…please."

Suddenly, Will felt a small surge of guilt flood his chest. This had been the night Elizabeth had revealed so much of herself to him. He didn't think she deserved to be pounded into a table. She needed to be taken somewhere else. He pulled out of her slowly and stepped away, bringing her up as he did so. Her face was clouded with confusion, but before she could ask what was happening, Will swept her up in his arms and carefully walked to his bedroom, being careful not to slip on the various papers all over the kitchen floor.

When he walked into the room, he set her down and locked the door behind them before turning back to her once more. As he backed Elizabeth towards the bed, he assaulted her neck with kisses while she finally pushed his shirt off his shoulders. Her knees caught the edge of the mattress, and she fell backwards, pulling him with her. When his lips trailed to her breast, Elizabeth once again wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him so that his erection was pressed against her entrance. Will straightened his posture to look down at her form while his fingers brushed against her nipples. When she arched her back to press herself into his hands, he pushed into her. He moved inside of her slowly, and his hands lifted her hips into the air, trying to put her in a position that would allow him to find that elusive place inside every woman that would drive her over the edge. After a few deep thrusts, Will grabbed some pillows to support her in order to free one of his hands. His thumb made its way back to the spot above their union. He alternated between rubbing slow circles against her clit and pushing into her as gently as he could. Elizabeth clutched the sheets in her fists as he brought her close to the edge before pulling her away over and over again. Finally, it became too much, and she tightened her legs around him, pulling him deep inside as she pleaded, "Faster."

A thin layer of sweat began to form over her skin, and Will could feel their bodies sliding against each other as he gave in to her demand. He pumped into her fast and hard, and soon she was squirming beneath him before finally crying out as her orgasm washed over her. Will continued to meet her hips as Elizabeth bucked against him. Just as she began to feel the last wave, he reached his own peak and collapsed against her. As his heart continued to beat rapidly, he softly kissed her shoulder and nuzzled his face in the crook of her neck. She hugged him tightly, and they stayed that way for a few minutes until Will felt Elizabeth begin to shiver beneath him.

"You cold?"

"A little," she whispered.

"Get under the covers. I'll go get your clothes for you." He started to stand, but she pulled him back down.

"I was sort of hoping that I could…maybe wear something of yours?"

Her shyness amused him. "Like what?"

"Boxers and a sweatshirt?" she asked. Then she added, "Clean boxers, preferably."

Will laughed. "Beggars can't be choosers, but let me see what I've got." After a few seconds of searching through drawers, he found a clean pair of boxers and a large, old sweatshirt he had owned since he was eighteen. "How's this?"

Elizabeth grinned. "Perfect."

They couldn't help but smile at one another as they dressed. Will put on his discarded button down shirt and a pair of shorts he had thrown in the floor a few days ago. When they finished, they kissed again before he remembered his gift for her.

"I almost forgot! I've got something for you!"

"For me?"

"Yes! Come here!" He grabbed her hand and practically dragged her into the living room. There was a small cardboard box in the corner that had a high pitched squeak emitting from it. Will ushered Elizabeth forward. "Go on. Have a look."

She leaned over the box and squealed. "Oh, Will! It's precious!" When she stood, Elizabeth held a small cat in her hands, who was blinking slowly from just being awakened. "Where did you find it?"

"After Jack left, I went outside to sit on the steps, and I heard this cat crying in the ally, so I walked around to make sure it wasn't hurt, and it ran right up to me, looking starved. It only looks like it's about five months old. I can't tell if it's a boy or a girl though. I never have been good at that sort of thing."

After a quick look, Elizabeth said, "She's a girl."

"It's a girl, then."

There was a loud rumble from the cat as it began to purr, and Elizabeth said, "Thank you, Will. Thank you so much."

* * *

After a considerable amount of time had passed, Jack decided it was time to go back to his flat. He enjoyed chatting with Tom and the rest of the regulars in The Pub, but he was a little anxious to see how his friends were doing. He hoped that four hours was enough time for them to sort everything out. When he walked inside the flat, he noticed it was quiet and figured the two were somewhere outside. He hoped that they were together, wherever they were. As he walked into the kitchen and saw the mess of papers and clothes strewn all over the floor, Jack rolled his eyes when he noticed everything happened to be scattered on the floor around the table. From this little scene, he knew things between the two had turned out just fine. He made his way into the living room and found Will and Elizabeth asleep on the couch. She was resting against his chest, clad in his old sweatshirt and a pair of boxers, while Will had his cheek pressed against the top of her head and his arms around her middle. The sight of a cat curled up on the other end of the couch confused Jack slightly, but he decided to wait until later to ask. He picked up a throw laying on an armchair and carefully draped it over the two before heading off to sleep.


	17. Epilogue

_A/N: This is it: the last chapter of the story. Thanks for reading and reviewing!_

Even though she had been awake for thirty minutes, Elizabeth had not even attempted to roll out of bed. She decided she could rationalize her laziness because she did not have to work until later in the evening, and she did not have any errands to run that day. But the main reason was because there was a very naked Will still soundly sleeping just inches away from her. And while she realized it was terribly cliché, Elizabeth couldn't help but feel as if she could watch him sleep for the rest of the morning. Every few seconds, she would laugh softly as she studied his face. He was dead to the world, and it seemed as if nothing could wake him. The left side of his face was pressed against the pillow, pushing his cheek close to his eye, which made his upper lip lift slightly. This, in addition to a small wet spot of saliva on the pillowcase, caused Elizabeth to suppress a fit of giggles. Her gaze drifted down the rest of his body that was partly covered by her sheet. She smiled again when she saw Ellie curled up on his back, sleeping just as deeply as the man underneath her. It was very entertaining to watch the cat slowly rise and fall as Will breathed deeply.

It had been almost a year since Elizabeth had moved to London, and she had never been more content or satisfied with her life than she was at the moment. The bookstore was doing very well, and Elizabeth loved being there, although she would be the first to admit some days were better than others. She had come into contact with lots of interesting characters while living in the city, and her friendship with Seth, Sarah, and Jack had grown stronger since she had come to terms with her past. In fact, thanks to the popularity of Pirate Party Fridays, Tom had managed to find a bigger venue for his little pub and was now enjoying huge success right in the heart of the night scene. And while she missed being able to walk to The Pub from her flat, Elizabeth was very happy that the place had not lost its tiny "get-to-know-you" atmosphere, despite its increasing patronage. Will and Jack still lived together despite Will spending most of his waking hours at work or with Elizabeth – as was the case at the moment. He had become very close to her parents, and she was thrilled that they had accepted him as a son, even though they legally weren't related yet. Even her cats adored him, and Elizabeth swore that they liked Will better than her at times. As if she could read her thoughts, the other cat in the apartment leapt onto Elizabeth's chest and knocked the breath out of her and squashed her boobs.

"Bella! Why do you always have to find the worst places to land?"

Bella began to purr very loudly and rubbed her head on her owner's face. When she was scratched on the neck, she began to knead her paws against Elizabeth's chest.

"No claws! Down you go," Elizabeth said and placed the cat beside her on the bed. Her yelp caused Will to stir, which in turn woke Ellie, who yawned.

"What happened?" Will asked.

"Oh, just Bella finding inappropriate places of my anatomy to mutilate with her claws."

"What?"

Elizabeth laughed. "I didn't mean to wake you. I'm sorry."

"Nah. It's okay. I should get up anyway," he yawned. "But I don't think I will."

Bella had begun to play with Ellie's swishing tail while Elizabeth busied herself with smoothing Will's hair. They stared at each other for a few seconds. He was still trying to wake up from his groggy state and blinked furiously, which made her laugh.

"You are sickeningly adorable right now," she said, leaning in to kiss him for the first time that morning. It was interrupted when Ellie yowled and Will suddenly cried out.

"Ow! Damn! Ow!" Will sat up quickly as the cats ran out of the bedroom.

"What?" Elizabeth asked. "What happened?"

"Bella just clawed the hell out of me! And then Ellie scratched me when she ran away."

"She was playing with Ellie's tail."

"Yeah, well, she probably got her too. That's probably why she took off. Why can't that cat be normal?"

"Normal?"

"Why can't she just mellow out like Ellie?"

Elizabeth laughed again. "She's just a kitten, Will. She's supposed to be hyperactive."

"She looks weird."

"What?"

"Her fur. All the colors. It just looks freaky."

"She's a calico. It's supposed to look like that."

Will grinned. "It's still weird."

As he pulled her on top of him, she said, "I don't know why they like you better. You're constantly insulting them."

"I'm just irresistible, is all."

She smiled. "Oh, shut up."

"In fact, I am so irresistible and fantastic, I am going to clean your apartment today. Just because."

"Are you calling me a lazy slob?"

"Maybe."

Elizabeth smacked his shoulder, and Will caught her wrists in his hands. "And maybe if you behave," he continued, "I'll let you seduce me tonight. Maybe."

"Oh, please," she said sarcastically. "The truth of the matter is that you'll be begging me to have my way with you."

"Probably."

* * *

The sound of the front door slamming alerted Will to Elizabeth's return. He could hear her nosily hanging her coat on the hook beside the door and walked out to greet her. As soon as he saw her, he knew she was in a bad mood, but he couldn't resist asking, "How was your day?"

Elizabeth glowered at him. "Don't ask. I've just…I'm ready to go to sleep."

Will walked behind her and began to rub her shoulders. "What happened?"

"Stupid people."

"I see."

"I'm just pissed because we had the dumbest gits in London coming in the shop all night asking for trite garbage that is right in front of their face," she huffed. "And _then_ we had some damn dumbass stay until the last second ticked down before we closed the shop. _And then_ we had to clean up all the books left in various random places by people who are too incompetent to put them back where they found them."

Will was glad she couldn't see him because he was smiling. "I'm sorry you had a bad day."

"It was more than bad, Will."

"Well, I'm sorry you had a more-than-bad day."

"Hmph."

"Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"

"No. I just want to go to sleep."

"Why don't you come in here for a minute?" he asked, leading her into the living room. "You can sit and vent to me for a bit."

"Will, I just want to get into one of my oversized old shirts and go to sleep and forget this day ever happened, and you're preventing me from doing that."

"Come on, Liz."

"Okay, but I'm not staying up very much longer."

He walked her into the room and abruptly turned to face her. "Fancy playing a game?"

"What? No! I want to sleep!"

"Please? I fixed it up so you could play when you got home!"

Elizabeth was exasperated. "But Will," she whined, "It's almost midnight, and I'm ready–"

"For bed, I know," he finished for her. "Just…please?"

He looked so pitiful, she finally agreed, "Fine, but after this I'm going to bed."

"Deal."

Will pulled an index card out of his back pocket and handed it to her. Elizabeth looked down at the card and read the message he had scribbled on it.

_Look on the telly_.

She pouted. "Will! I'm not in the mood for a scavenger hunt."

"Elizabeth, please! You promised you'd play!"

Her eyes narrowed at him as she walked towards the television. "This better not take a long time."

The next card read, _Look behind the couch_. The game continued as Will had Elizabeth searching all over her living room, looking under cushions and on top of lampshades in a hunt to find all of his index cards. When she picked up the card taped to the side of one of her armchairs and read _Look on Ellie_, she quirked her eyebrows at him and said, "Ellie? What?"

Will laughed. "I'm just kidding. The next one's in the German dictionary on your shelf."

Elizabeth shook her head as she walked towards her collection of books. The little pocket dictionary held the card between its pages. She slipped it out and read, _Turn around_. When she did, her jaw dropped. Will was kneeling before her with a small black box in his hands.

"Elizabeth," he started, "I love you. And I know we haven't been together for a year yet, but I can't imagine my life without you. And I realize everything I'm about to say sounds like it's come from every romance movie ever made, but when I think about where I'm going to be in five, ten, fifteen years…I see you there with me. I _want_ you there with me. If you're not ready to get married, that's okay. We don't have to do it right now, but…I'd like to promise you I'll be there for the future, and this is the best way I know how."

Elizabeth had barely registered anything Will had just said. Her head was spinning from the total shock of what was happening. Even though she knew it would probably happen eventually, she was not expecting it to happen so soon…so _unexpectedly_. She stood completely still, unable to do anything but stare at him kneeling in front of her. She was having a difficult time wrapping her brain around the entire situation. When about ten seconds had passed, she realized she hadn't said anything.

"Yes."

Will's face relaxed, and he looked relieved. Elizabeth closed the distance between them, and he placed the ring on her finger before standing to kiss her. When he pulled away, Will said, "I was getting nervous when you didn't say anything. You just stood there staring at me, and I thought you were trying to think of a way to politely say no."

"Oh, Will. I'm sorry. I was just surprised. You know, right before I turned around I was starting to get pissed at you."

He laughed. "Why?"

"Because I had a bad day, and you were making me play a stupid game before I could go to sleep."

"Are you having a better day now?"

"It's considerably better."

He kissed her forehead as Elizabeth hugged him and yawned. "I'm really sleepy, Will."

"Too sleepy to have me beg you for some midnight lovin'? I'll do it. I've already gotten on my knees once tonight. I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

"Okay, then. But only if you beg."

Will dropped to his knees. "Ms. Future-Turner, please stay conscious enough for a little love session tonight. For me? I got you a brand new ring and everything. Please, oh please?"

Despite the exaggerated tone in his voice, Elizabeth nodded. He jumped to his feet and lifted her off the ground. She admired her ring as he carried her through the bedroom door, twisting it and getting used to the way it felt on her finger.

"Does it fit properly?"

"Yes. It's perfect. Will, this is all perfect."

"Just you wait. It gets even better." He gently set her on the bed and crawled above her. They stayed intimately close to one another for the rest of the night until they were both too exhausted to stay awake any longer.

* * *

The next morning, Elizabeth found herself staring at Will once again. She gently nudged his shoulder to wake him and smiled when he opened his eyes. He stretched and wrapped his arm around her shoulders to pull her close to him. After he kissed her the top of her head, he mumbled, "Morning."

Elizabeth propped herself on her elbow and looked down at his face. "Morning."

"How are you today?"

"Still in shock. I can't believe we're engaged!"

"You're acting like we were never planning on getting married."

"I knew we would eventually, but…I guess I wasn't expecting you to ask when you did, and I sure as hell didn't picture you proposing while I was so irritated."

Will grinned. "I'm sorry I don't have better timing."

"I wouldn't have had it any other way." She leaned down to kiss him, but before things moved faster, she paused. "Will, I know I say this all the time, but I love you, and I'm so glad I found you again. I can't imagine being with anyone else, and…I can't wait to grow old with you."

"Me either." With that, he pulled her on top of him, intending to have them stay in bed for the rest of the day. Or at least, the rest of the morning.

_A/N #2: This is it for me. I don't plan to do anymore stories, except for the occasional one shots (maybe). I'm just too busy. Maybe when I get some off time or during the summer months, but this is the end for now. Thanks for reading my junk and reviewing. Ha!_


	18. Epilogue No 2

_A/N: I wanted to do a one shot, but I was too lazy to come up with a new plot, so I made a second epilogue for this story. The end. Oh, and I must send a thank you to williz who reminded me about life in NCali. Thank you!_

Elizabeth sat down on the hotel bed after opening the curtains in order to watch the rolling waves of the Pacific Ocean. A contented sigh left her as she stretched, leaving her with a relaxed feeling. In fact, the entire week had been a fantastic getaway given to her by her husband. It was a complete surprise when Will had shown her the tickets. Their honeymoon had been their last vacation together since having their son, William, who was now four. Elizabeth's parents were delighted to keep him for the week, and Jack had once again agreed to look after their aging cats.

The two of them flew to California in order to visit the area described in many novels of one of Elizabeth's favorite authors, John Steinbeck. They arrived in San Francisco and immediately drove to the Monterey area to see Cannery Row. The next few days were spent on the beach, at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and the National Steinbeck Center. The last day in Monterey was spent biking around the area after Will had found a place to rent a couple of bicycles.

They also decided to spend their last two days visiting San Francisco, as Will was adamant about crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. Elizabeth enjoyed the cable car rides around the city, and Will loved the way the hills provided views of the entire area. They were both excited after crossing the bridge and had a picnic lunch on the other side near a stone wall with various messages written and carved into the stone. They occupied themselves with small talk and reading the words left behind on the wall when a rather large squirrel ran towards them. It suddenly stopped when it spotted them, and Will tossed it a piece of his bread. It quickly took it and ate it, much to the delight of both of them. When it finished, it stared at them expectantly, obviously waiting for another bite. Just when Elizabeth had finished saying how cute she thought it was, the squirrel picked up a very small rock and threw it at Will before charging them both. The two decided to end their lunch when two more squirrels wandered into view. They spent the remainder of the afternoon touring Alcatraz.

Their last day was spent enjoying the city and picking up souvenirs to take home to William and their friends. Elizabeth was exhausted from all of the walking and was secretly glad to be back in their room to enjoy the last night of their trip. They had an early flight in the morning, and Will had opted to take a shower that evening to give him the opportunity to sleep late in the morning while Elizabeth got ready. She had already packed their things, and now the waves crashing against the shore kept her entertained. The sound of a door opening behind her made her turn towards it.

Will walked out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. His hair was still dripping from his shower, and Elizabeth smiled at him. He returned the grin and pulled the office chair by the desk next to where she was sitting on the bed. When he sat down, he took her hands in his and gently massaged her palms with his fingers.

"You smell nice," she said.

"I would hope you'd think so. You buy the soap I use."

Elizabeth stood and moved behind him. Will kept smiling as he watched her with amusement. Soon he felt her hands slide along his shoulders before they stopped at his neck and began rubbing the muscles underneath her fingers. She rested her chin against the top of his head as she kneaded the tightness away. The smell of his shampoo surrounded her, and she couldn't help but laugh at the feeling of happiness that surged through her.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing. I've just had a really good time is all."

"You've deserved every mile of our trip."

"All thanks to you."

Will reached up to grab one of her hands and placed a kiss on her fingers. "Shouldn't I be the one giving you the massage?"

Elizabeth squeezed his hand before resuming her work against his shoulders. "You've planned everything. It's only proper you get something nice out of this vacation."

"Oh, I think I've received plenty thanks to you."

She laughed, knowing exactly what he was referring to. The two had christened every bed of every place they'd stayed when Elizabeth had her way with him as soon as they had checked in, saving their tourist activities for later time during the day. There had even been a time she'd been enjoying the view from a picture window in their tenth story room, and Will had insisted on taking her against the wall right beside it, not caring who might have been watching.

She continued her massage, and eventually Will's head began to droop as he became more relaxed and comfortable. After a few minutes of silent rubbing, Elizabeth's hands wandered over the rest of his back, and he leaned forward to accommodate the new path her fingers took. Soon the exploration of this area ended, and her arms wrapped around his ribs, allowing her fingertips to stroke his chest and stomach. Will took her hand and gently pulled her to stand in front of him. Elizabeth bent down to kiss him as she cupped his jaw, allowing his hands the freedom to travel up her thigh and under her night clothes. When he reached her backside, he broke the kiss.

"Elizabeth Turner, where are your knickers?"

She grinned slyly. "I didn't think they were necessary."

"Is the rest of your outfit necessary as well?"

"I didn't want you to come out of the shower and start humping me right away."

"Someone's a snarky little vixen."

"You married her."

Will took a firm grasp on her hips and pulled her onto his lap before moving his hands along her ribs, bringing her closer to him. His fingers rubbed circles against her back when her lips left his and pressed under his jaw. Another mark was created to match the many that were already around his neck from days earlier when she nipped at his skin. When she traced the rim of his ear with her tongue, Will roughly pulled her closer to him, dragging her against his legs, and he grunted against her shoulder when she came to rest against his erection, still hidden beneath the damp towel. Without being asked, she slid her hands down his chest and stomach until they reached his towel. She tugged it out of its knot, and Will lifted his hips, allowing her to pull it out from under him and toss it carelessly to the side.

Elizabeth ground herself against him, already excited that Will was seated. This was her favorite position because it afforded the most sensitivity and gave the best chance for her to reach her climax. It was a perfect way to end their trip. She didn't waste time removing her nightclothes but instead lifted and sank herself onto him until he was completely buried inside. Will pitched forward, and his muffled groan against her skin made Elizabeth smile. He tried to begin moving against her, but she denied him when she stayed firmly still, preventing him from moving.

"Elizabeth…"

She laughed and kissed his ear, continuing her tongue's path that had been interrupted. She followed his jawline and moved down his neck before lingering near his collarbone. She felt herself lift a few inches into the air and quirked an eyebrow at her husband.

"Elizabeth, please…"

"No."

"Elizabeth–"

She pushed herself against him, forcing him back into the chair. Her hand crept along his thigh and slowly drew closer to a particularly responsive spot between his legs, just under his balls. When her fingers reached their target, Will hissed and tried to lift her again, but she continued to hold him down, concentrating all her energy into keeping the strength in her legs. Her mouth returned to his while she tickled him, and as she pulled on his bottom lip, she felt herself relax into his arms that were holding her tight against him. The fabric of her nightgown rubbed against her nipples, and she inwardly moaned at the sensation. A sudden thrust signaled his impatience and forced a whimper from her throat. It sent the familiar feeling the position provided rocketing from their connection down to her toes, and Elizabeth could no longer continue her teasing.

She rocked against him, lifting herself and dropping down on him at a steady pace. His hands left her side and fiercely gripped her waist, aiding her efforts. The only piece of clothing between them began to creep up Elizabeth's torso as the constant up and down motion shifted it out of place. She could feel Will's stomach muscles tense and relax against her own as he lifted his hips to meet hers. It was slick with the combination of sweat and water that dripped from his hair.

She felt herself getting close, and because her orgasms did not occur on a regular basis, Elizabeth lost her self control and began rocking frantically in an almost desperate attempt to capture it. Her arms wrapped around Will's neck and shoulders as their pace increased, and it wasn't long until her body seized on top of his while she gasped and whimpered in his ear.

When he felt her relax, Will removed her negligee and flung it towards his towel. He scooted forward on the office chair in order to stand, and Elizabeth helped him gain his balance by wrapping her legs around his waist. Carefully, he placed her on the bed and bent himself over her body, supporting his weight with his arms on either side of her shoulders. Her legs were draped over the edge until Will fitted them around his waist again. His pace resumed its speed from the time Elizabeth climaxed, and Will kept deep, fast thrusts going in order to retain their tempo.

Elizabeth watched his face, amused with his look of concentration. His eyes were shut tight, and his teeth were clamped down on his lower lip. When she touched his chest, his hands moved to her hips to bring them against his own for a tighter fit. His eyes opened then, and Will watched himself move in and out of her. Her fingers drifted downward to touch him as he did so, and she could tell he had almost pushed himself past his limit from the short, ragged breaths that were escaping his throat. A few more seconds passed, and Will lunged forward as his head snapped up, and his face contorted into the familiar expression Elizabeth had seen countless times before. His eyes were closed again, and his teeth clenched together just before his jaw dropped and his mouth opened slightly. With a few more erratic thrusts, his body tensed before collapsing on top of her.

Will was breathing heavily against her neck, and he muttered _fuck_ very softly. Elizabeth lowered her legs to the floor again and combed her fingers through his hair, twisting the ends of it to wring out the remaining water onto his back. She kissed his shoulder and stroked his spine with her other hand while she waited for him to recover. After a few minutes, he rolled off her and moved them closer to the headboard. His eyes were half closed, and he looked exhausted as he rested his arm over her stomach.

"Will, thank you so much for doing this. For planning everything."

"You're welcome."

"And as much as I've enjoyed it, I'm ready to go back tomorrow. I miss William."

He smiled. "So do I…Although it has been nice not having to rush and worry whether he'll walk in on us and be traumatized for the rest of his childhood."

"True. It's felt like it used to before he was born, hasn't it?"

"Amazing sex. Yes. Sex like the baby-less couples enjoy. Brilliant."

Elizabeth laughed and rested her head against his shoulder, and the two of them drifted to sleep.


End file.
